The Isles
by DarkGoldenEyedAngel
Summary: B,the man hating pirate captain, finds herself learning to follow her heart instead of her head when she meets the lady loving pirate captain E. What will happen when these two are forced to join forces to stop something much bigger than themselves? AH AU
1. Ch 1 The Escape

_**The Isles**_

_**by**_

_**CrazedCullenLover (or Kitti)**_

_**A/N: Hey guys! Here's another story for you! I hope you like it. I was reading this book about pirates and I was like "I have to write a story like this," and this is the product.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight! Never have, never will and this is the only time I'm going to say it! **_

_**Full Summary:**_

_Isabella Swan is not your normal eighteen-year-old girl. Bella, as she likes to be called my only her closest friends, is captain of the Breaking Dawn, an all-women's pirate ship that is notorious for their raids on large Caribbean cities. Bella has a reputation for being amazingly clever, cunning and a "man-hater" and her shipmates' are just as bad. She has her reasons for acting this way, but she refuses to tell even her closest of friends of the events that caused her to become this way. Bella can get herself out of any situation that she chooses in a moment's time. But what happens when she finds herself in the one situation that she can't get herself out of? Falling in love with the one thing she despised most. A man. But she has bigger problems. A storm is coming that no one expected and it's up to Bella and her crew to stop it. Let's just hope they make it on time. All Human._

_**Here's the real thing! Enjoy!**_

_**Chapter 1: The Escape**_

_A small girl with shining brunette curls raced through the legs of the tall men all around her that were raising the sails of the _Twilight _just as the sun began to set. The men moved out of the way, not wanting to touch the girl that was, in the majority of their minds, going to surely lead them to their deaths. _

_The girl didn't mind that the men didn't like her. The only thing that mattered to her was her father. "Papa!" she cried with a smile on her face._

_A tall man with the same brunette curls turned and smiled down at his child. He reached down and picked up her small form. "What are you doing up at this time of night?" he asked with a playful tone. _

_She gave him a looked that questioned his sanity. "It's only sunset," she said._

_He nodded and laughed at his daughter's tenacity and walked over to the railing of the ship. He pointed out over the Caribbean Sea. "Do you see how the sun sets behind the horizon?"_

_She girl nodded. "Well, one day when we decide to leave this earth, we'll sink below the horizon as well. Some people think that this is a sad thing and, in a way, it is, but what they don't see is that they can join their loved ones that have left this earth before them."_

_She little girl smiled. "Like Mama, right?"_

_The man tried to hold back his tears. "Yes, like your mother." He gave his daughter a smile and hitched her onto his hip. "And now, it is time for you to go to bed."_

_She pouted, but obeyed her father. He carried her to her chambers and laid her down on her small bed and kissed her forehead. "Good night, my angel."_

"_Good night, Papa," she yawned as she drifted to sleep to the sound of the waves below her._

* * *

_The girl was awoken suddenly by the sound of explosions and shouts. She climbed out of bed quickly and ran out of her chambers._

"_Papa!" she cried over the noise. She looked around frantically, searching for her father._

_She spotted him and ran towards him. "Papa!"_

_He whipped around and grabbed her and brought her to his chest and ran to put her back into her room. "You must stay here," he said sternly, fear showing in his face. She had never seen her father like this before. _

"_What's happening, Papa?" she asked._

"_Nothing, angel. I promise everything will be all right," he said as he tried to wipe the fear off of his face, so not to scare his daughter anymore. _

"_Prepare to board!" she heard a man call from a distance. She peeked around her father and saw about twenty very large men land on the deck of the ship. _

"_Papa! Look behind you!" she cried. Her father spun around just as one of the men brought his sword above his head to strike him down. Her father raised his sword just as the other man's came down._

_Her father battled with the pirate and finally cut him down. He turned around to make sure that his daughter stayed in her room until the danger had past, but she was not there. He looked around for her frantically._

"_Papa! Help!" he heard her call. He spun around looking for her in the direction that he had heard her voice come from. His eyes widened in fright for his daughter, who was in the hands of one of the pirates from the attacking ship._

_He raced towards her but was cut off my two of the other pirates. They were both holding swords. He easily cut them down and raced off again to save his daughter._

_He was almost to the man that held his daughter captive when he felt a searing pain in his side. He looked down and saw that there was a gash running down his side, the blood staining his shirt._

_He turned to find the man that had wounded him and saw that he was surrounded. He looked around for one of his own men to help him, but he saw that they were all dead or dying._

_He dropped his sword in surrender. He would never be able to get out of this predicament. He looked behind him to see that the man that was holding his daughter was still on board the _Twilight_. He sighed in relief when he saw that she was still unharmed. But that sigh was cut short as he felt a sword getting plunged into his stomach._

"_No! Papa! No!" the girl cried. Tears streaming nonstop down her face. "No!"_

_He fell to the deck of the ship as the pirate that had stabbed him laughed manically and pulled his sword from his stomach._

_He heard the others laugh with the man as he looked up to find his daughter. "Papa! Papa!" she continued to cry. _

_He knew that he was dying fast. "Be brave, my angel… I love you… Bella," were the last words he muttered before his eyes closed for the last time._

_Bella's eyes overflowed with more tears. "Papa! No! Please come back! Please! You promised everything would be all right! You promised!" she sobbed as the pirate that was holding her swung back over to his own ship._

_She watched as her father's beloved _Twilight _burst into flames and slowly sink towards the ocean floor._

"_You promised," she muttered as she continued to cry as her father sank into the ocean depths._

* * *

_**(Bella's POV)**_

I woke with a start. I felt tears running down my face. It had been seven years since my father was killed my the very pirates that kidnapped me, locked me up in the smallest room on the ship, and made me their personal slave.

I wiped the tears from my eyes and sat up. I've had that very dream for the past seven years. It constantly haunted me and never let me forget that horrible day.

My thirteenth birthday was in a fortnight and all of the horrible men on this ship were very excited about it.

The captain of the ship had told his crew that I was not to be used as a bed-warmer until I was of the age that he designated and that was thirteen. I've even heard them arguing over which one of them "got me" first. I was disgusted to say the least.

I wasn't about to let some slimy man steal away my virtue. I was going to give it away when _I _wanted to and I had decided long ago that that would be never. I have learned to hate men and everything about them.

I was planning to escape from this horrid place and find a way back to the Caribbean (we were somewhere near England at the moment) and find a ship that I would let me be part of the crew. It was always a dream of mine to have my own ship and my own crew and sail the seas just because I wanted to.

I had been planning this escape since I was brought aboard this ship and I now knew that it was time for me to put it into action.

I had stolen two extra swords from below decks when I was seven and have learned to use them well. I had watched the crews many duels on board and practiced when I knew everyone was asleep at night. I could use both hands equally well and I was fast.

I planned to sneak away in the night when I knew that the laziest of the crew was on watch. I was planning on knocking the man unconscious and then cutting away all of the row boats and use one to escape to the London port and taking a ship over to the Caribbean Islands. I had gone over the plan so many times in my head that I knew that it would work.

I placed my feet on the floor and got up and peeked my head out the door to see what time it was. I saw the sun peeking out over the horizon and knew that it was just after dawn.

I sighed and got dressed in the ridiculous dress that they made me wear and left the room to go to the kitchen to fetch the captain and his son's breakfast.

The cook grunted at me when I walked into the kitchen and picked up the plates. I trudged up to the captain's quarters and knocked on the door. "Come in, Isabella," I heard the captain call.

I pushed open the door and walked over to the table where the captain and his son were seated. "Thank you, Isabella," the captain said with a very false smile. I nodded and went to stand in the corner like I was supposed to and waited for them to finish.

"Isabella, there's an important event coming up for you, isn't that right?" Captain Black asked. Captain William "Billy" Black was rightly named. His heart was as black as his name. He was cruel to even his own crew. He was kind to me, but I knew it was a false kindness. The only person he was truly kind to was his son, Jacob, and that was only because Jacob was equally as cruel.

Jacob was almost very full of himself. He thought that just because he was the captain's son, that he could just march around the ship giving orders to the crew. The only difference between the two was that Jacob looked at me with lust in his eyes. I knew that if I stayed until my thirteenth birthday, I would be in his bed first. I held in a shudder at the thought.

I nodded, not wanting to speak. I continued to look at the floor. "I expect you to be on the deck for the celebration that night," he said. I just nodded again. _If I'm even on the ship_, I thought to myself.

They finished their breakfast and I took the plates back to the kitchen and washed them and put them back where they belonged.

I went back to my room and waited for someone to call me to do something for them.

* * *

_**Five days later at midnight…**_

I poked my head out of my door to make sure no one was near. When I was satisfied that no one was around, I snuck over to where I knew Quil, one of Jacob's lackeys and one of the laziest people on this ship, was taking his shift of the watch. The thick fog helped conceal my presence from him, as well.

I was wearing a pair of trousers and a loose fitting shirt to hide my woman parts and my best pair of boots. They were worn in, so they made no noise as I traveled across the deck to where Quil was standing. I pulled my dagger out from its hiding spot in my boot and quickly rapped him on the temple with the hilt. I caught him as he started to fall and I gently laid him down on the deck, so that no one would hear the thud that his body would have made.

I traveled over to the first of the row boats and threw the oars into the water and then cut the ropes that held it to the ship. I did that with the remaining boats and then climbed into the last one and lowered myself into the water. I cut the rope that held the boat to the ship and picked up the oars and started rowing in the direction on the London port, which was only a few hours row from where Captain Black had his ship anchored.

I smiled as I rowed towards my freedom.

* * *

_**Dawn that same day…**_

I arrived at the London port at dawn and hopped out of my boat, not even bothering to tie it up. I wouldn't need it anymore.

I went over to the dock listings and looked for the first ship that was sailing for the Caribbean. I found one that was leaving in not even half an hour and I saw that was very close to the ship as well.

I ran over to were the ship was and snuck past the guards that were guarding the entrance and slid below decks into the cargo hold. There was plenty of food down here and I doubted that anyone would notice if a little bit was gone by the end of the voyage.

I settled into a corner of the cargo hold and waited for the ship to depart. When I heard the sound of the captain yelling commands to lower the sails and the ship beginning to move forward, I smiled to myself.

I was free.

* * *

**_A/N: I hope you liked that! I would have to say that this is my favorite story idea that I've had so far._**

_**Just to clear some things up: the italics at the beginning were Bella's dream and that Bella's father (Charlie) was a pirate (he was a good pirate though, as in not liking to kill people unless needed) and the people that attacked the Twilight were pirates, as well. Hope that sets you straight. If you need me to explain any nautical terms, PM me or send a review and I will do my best to explain.**_

_**Please review! Tell if I should continue with this story! And I have a poll on my profile that I wouldn't mind ya'll voting for. Please and thank you!**_

_**Peace dudes!**_

_**Kitti**_


	2. Ch 2 The Journey

**_A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for the reviews! You guys are awesome! Please read the A/N at the bottom of the page after you finish reading. Anyway, I'm going to let you read now._**

**_Disclaimer: See Chapter 1_**

_**Chapter 2: The Journey**_

_**(Bella's POV)**_

**_Five years later…_ **

"Hoist the sails!" I called as we prepared to dock at Tortuga. We needed supplies for our next voyage and Tortuga was the cheapest port at which we could get them.

"Aye, Captain," the crew called as they ran to do my bidding.

Yes,_ my_ bidding. I am now the captain of the notorious _Breaking Dawn_, one of the most feared pirate ships on the seven seas.

My dream finally came true when I arrived in the Caribbean five years ago on my thirteenth birthday after I escaped from the pirates that murdered my father and kidnapped me.

I am now eighteen years of age and the youngest, and most well-known, pirate captain in the world. After all, I am the only woman pirate captain known to man.

Let's just say the journey to my position was interesting, to say the least.

_**Flashback… **_

_The ship that I had stowed away on finally docked on my thirteenth birthday. I waited for all of the crew members to leave the ship before sneaking up onto the deck and making my way down to the main docks._

_I made my way through the busy streets of Port Royal where the ship had docked. I looked around in wonder, not having seen my homeland in almost seven years at the time._

_I walked into one of the local bars, knowing that I would find someone who was in need of a crew member. At the time, I was disguised as a boy so that I wouldn't be "swept away" by some drunk old bilge rat. I had my hair pulled back under my hat and my loose shirt covered my more womanly parts._

_I walked up to the bar and sat down and ordered a drink (I had a small amount of money that I had stolen from the crew that had kidnapped me). The bartender gave me a look, but got me the drink nonetheless._

_When the bartender left, I spun around in my seat, looking for a promising job offer. I spotted a man across the room who was sitting at a table that had a line in front of it. It was obvious that he was looking for some more crew members._

_I hopped off of my stool and made my way over to the line. I waited patiently in the line and sighed in relief when I reached the front._

_The man gave me a once over and then looked at my face. I gave him a look telling him to send me away. He didn't._

_The man looked fairly young (in his late thirties maybe) with black hair and golden eyes. A woman that looked about the same age with black hair and a kind face sat next to him._

"_My name is Eleazar Denali and this is my wife Carmen. I am the captain of the English merchant ship the _Breaking Dawn_. Please state your name," he said to me._

"_Isabella Swan," I said, my voice practically daring him to send me away._

_He looked up at me in shock. "Isabella Swan? As in Charlie Swan's child?"_

_I nodded stiffly. "Well then…" he paused. "Welcome aboard."_

_I just stared at him. "W-what do you mean?" I was seriously confused. All he did was ask for my name and that was it? He had questioned the other man in the line brutally, asking about their background and their sailing experience._

_He smiled at me. "You probably don't remember me. I was one of Charlie's good friends."_

_I nodded, still not understanding._

"_We heard about what happened to you and your father." He had a sad look on his face. "Charlie told me right after your mother passed away that if anything happened to him, I was to find you and take care of you."_

_I tried to hold back my tears. I had learned to force back painful memories and the sudden rush of them was slightly overwhelming._

"_Thank you, sir," I said shakily._

_He smiled and motioned for me to come around the table and sit with him and his wife._

**…_End Flashback _**

That was the first and only paying job I had ever had. Eleazar and Carmen had brought me and the three other new crew members to see the ship.

The first time I saw the ship, I was instantly attached to it. The ship was truly magnificent. The sails were a brilliant white and the deck was a polished mahogany _(pic on website)_.

I rubbed my hand along the polished railing, smiling sadly. The way I received the ship wasn't the most pleasant of memories.

_**Flashback… **_

_I had been working on the _Breaking Dawn _for almost six months. I had become fast friends with Eleazar's three daughters. _

_Tanya (who was the eldest at sixteen), Irina (who was fourteen), and Kate (the youngest, who was my age, thirteen) were a very lively bunch. They were always on deck, helping with the deckhands, even though the men didn't enjoy their company on the ship. _

_I shook my head at the men. No matter where you went, men were always saying that having a woman aboard the ship will lead them all to their deaths._

_We were sailing back to Port Royal from England when they struck. We were attacked from the starboard side. A single cannon ball came sailing out of no where and struck the side of the ship. _

_Eleazar called for us to load the guns and prepare to fire. He wasn't about to go out without a fight._

_Men from the other ship started to come aboard the _Dawn_. I gasped when I saw who one of them was. Jacob Black._

_I drew my sword and pulled one of my many hidden daggers from its hiding spot in my boot and flung it at one the attacking men. It embedded itself in his chest and he fell over the railing before he even took a step._

_I attacked with my sword just like all of the other men aboard. Tanya, Irina, and Kate were swinging their swords just like everyone else (we girls had been practicing our sword fighting together over the past months)._

_I spun around sensing at man behind me. I gasped when I saw Jacob standing behind me. He had a sadistic smile on his face. He shook his head at me in a demeaning way. "Isabella, did you honestly think that we wouldn't find you."_

_I didn't say anything. Instead I brought my sword up taking a swing at him, but he blocked the blow. We battled it out on the deck, neither one of us stopping. _

_He gained an advantage when I tripped over a piece of loose rope and fell onto my back. I hit my head on a barrel and felt something warm start to flow through my hair. Then I smelt it. The blood from my head was making me lightheaded and dizzy. I felt like I was going to faint. _

_Jacob kicked the sword from my hand and pulled my up by my hair. He threw me over his shoulder and called for his men to retreat back to his ship when they got what they wanted._

_My head was spinning as Jacob carried me back to the other ship. It was the last thing I remembered before my consciousness left me._

_

* * *

_

I woke up to the sound on muffled sobs. My vision was hazy as I sat up, trying to figure out where I was.

_I looked to my right and I saw Tanya holding Irina and Kate in her arms, trying to calm them. Tanya had tears streaming down her cheeks along with her sisters._

"_Where are we? I asked softly. Apparently they didn't realize that I had woken up._

"_We're aboard the _Eclipse_, in the brig," Tanya said. "We were captured by the pirates that attacked last night." _

"_What happened?" I asked when I could sit up without the room spinning._

"_You don't remember?" Tanya asked._

"_The last thing I remember was being attacked and then being carried over to another ship. Everything else is really vague."_

_Tanya wiped away her tears, trying to be strong for her younger sisters. "Yes, we were attacked and those horrible pieces of scum killed everyone on the _Dawn_." She took a deep breath. "Including Mother and Father."_

_I gasped in shock and stood up shakily and came over to the three sisters and hugged them all. _

"_I know what it feels like to lose both parents," I said to them. They looked up at me. "It feels horrible and the feeling never leaves you, but you have to be strong. Especially now. We have to get off of this ship."_

"_Ha! Good luck with that one," I heard someone say from behind me. I spun around and saw a very beautiful girl with blond hair that waved to the middle of her back and bright ice blue eyes that seemed like they had been frozen from years of hardship in one of the other cells._

"_And who are you?" I asked, a little angered by her negativity._

"_Rosalie Hale," she replied. "And you shouldn't even try to escape. I've tried many times. Trust me."_

"_I escaped from this very ship only six months ago and I can do it again," I told her, my temper rising._

"_Really?" another voice asked from beside Rosalie. I jumped a little. I hadn't noticed the small, pixie-like girl with bright green eyes and shoulder length black hair that stuck out in different directions._

"_Yes," I said. "And you are?"_

"_Alice Brandon," she chirped. "Don't mind, Rose. She's always been sort of a pessimist."_

_Rose gave Alice an indignant look. "Am not."_

"_Are too, now be quiet and listen to…" she trailed off, looking back at me._

"_Isabella Swan, but call me Bella, and this is Tanya, Irina, and Kate Denali," I said, pointing out each one when I sad their name. They all nodded to Alice and Rosalie._

"_Hello, Bella. It's nice to meet all of you," Alice said. "Now what were you saying?"_

"_I was saying that we need to get off of this ship before something bad happens to us," I said. I looked over at Rosalie and saw that she had a look on her face that said that something bad already had happened to her. "I mean, before something worse happens to us."_

_I knew what Rosalie must be feeling, but I didn't know the extent of both of their problems. "Um, Alice. Rosalie. How old are you exactly, if you don't mind me asking?"_

"_I'm twelve," Alice said quietly. "And Rose is fifteen."_

"_Oh," was all that I could think of too say. So Alice hadn't gone through what Rosalie has gone through, but she was close to having the same experience if we didn't get off of this boat and it only wanted to make me escape faster._

"_We need to escape and we need to do it fast," I said turning back to the Denali sisters. "Do you know if they sunk the _Dawn_ or not?" _

"_No, they thought that it was still in good shape, so they decided to keep it," Kate said, finally talking._

_A plan was already formulating in my head. "Alright, this is what we need to do."_

_We had been on the _Eclipse_ for almost a month now. Alice, Rosalie, and I had become close friends along with the Denali sisters. Thankfully, the men of the crew hadn't wanted to "play" with us yet, but they did enjoy beating us. They said they liked to hear us cry._

_It was almost midnight and most of the crew was asleep except for the few that were on watch. Captain Black had decided to put a few more guards out, because of what happened the last time I was on board._

_I had made a makeshift lock pick that I could use to unlock the cell doors. When I heard no one on the upper deck, I reached through the bars of my cell and turned the lock pick until I heard the satisfying click of the lock being opened. I smiled and pushed the door open quietly and waited for the Denali's to get out. Then I moved on to Alice and Rose's cell._

_Once we were all out, we snuck up to the main deck and saw that we were surrounded by a light fog. This only made our job easier. I signaled for Alice and Rose to go pick off one of the guards. Tanya and Kate went to get one of the others. Irina and I got the last one._

_Once the guards were unconscious, we moved them down into the brig and locked the doors._

_The _Dawn _was being sailed behind us by some of the less skilled crew members. We swung our way quietly over to the deck of the _Dawn_ and picked off the crew members. _

"_Thank you, Billy Black," I said as I made my way up to the helm. We had checked the cargo hold and saw that there were still plenty of supplies left for us to escape to another port to restock. All of the riggings were already in place. All we had to do was turn the ship around a get out of here. And that's what we did._

… _**End Flashback**_

I looked down at my crew from the helm. I saw Alice bouncing around like a pixie, calling out orders. She was my quartermaster, or second-in-command if you will. She was good at what she did and she was one of my most lethal crew members. Let's just say that Alice _loved_ daggers.

I saw Rosalie and Tanya pulling one of the rigging lines. Rose is my weapon's master. Ever since I met her that day one the _Eclipse_, she has told me of her fascination with weapons… and gunpowder.

Tanya was the oldest in the crew. She was sort of like a mother to all of us and she knew how to use a sword.

Kate and Irina were scurrying around collecting loose materials that were rolling around, get in the way of the other crew members.

Did I forget to mention that my crew was an all-woman crew. Well, it's true. Every single one of crew members hated the opposite sex, so we all stuck together. We each had our reasons for despising men. The only men I ever came to love was my father and Eleazar. Tanya, Irina, and Kate say that they only loved their father. Rosalie was beaten by her father before she was kidnapped by the pirates and every man she's come across had always wanted to "get with her". Alice hadn't even known her father or mother, but just like Rose, every man she's met had wanted to steal away her virginity.

All of us had stuck together throughout all of these years and we've created a reputation that has now been feared for the past four and a half years. We were the clever and cunning man-hating female pirates that had appeared out of thin air. Men have come to fear us, for we were not very kind to the opposite gender. I've heard some small girls playing games that involved my crew and myself beating up the boys who were picking on them.

"We're ready to dock, Captain," Alice called from down below.

"Thank you, Alice," I said with a smile. She nodded to me and I nodded back as she went to the front of the ship.

Many people wonder how I got my position as captain of one of the most-feared pirate ships in the Caribbean. Well, it wasn't really my decision.

_**Flashback…**_

_We (Rose, Alice, Tanya, Irina, Kate and myself) had been sailing the _Dawn_ for almost a week after we had escaped from the _Eclipse_. They hadn't come after us yet, so we thought we were safe for now._

"_I think we need a captain," Kate said out of the blue. We looked at her. "I mean, if we're going to be sailing around the Caribbean like this, then we'll need someone who can lead us if something goes wrong."_

_We all nodded in agreement. I did make sense after all._

"_Who then?" Irina asked._

"_I think it should be Bella," Tanya spoke up._

"_What? Me? Why? If anyone is the captain it should be you. You're the oldest and this was your father's ship. You should be captain," I said._

"_Yes, I know that I'm the oldest and I know that this was my father's ship, but the thing is you're better suited for the job," she said. Everyone nodded in agreement._

"_But how?" I asked._

"_Let's see," Alice said. "You've escaped from one of the most evil pirates in the world _twice_. You're amazing with a sword and a dagger. You know how to sail a ship. Need I go on?"_

_I sighed. "No." _

"_Good. It's decided. Bella will be our captain," Tanya said._

_I sighed. This should be interesting._

… _**End Flashback **_

And it really was interesting. And I guess most of what they said was true. I sighed and pulled on my coat over my brown over shirt and white shirt. I slung my gun belt over my shoulder and secured my sword belt around my waist. My hair fell in loose waves under my tri-cornered hat _**(pic on website)**_.

I walked down the stairs to the main deck and waited as the gangplank was placed on the dock.

I looked around the ship again, remembering how I arrived here.

"You coming, Bella?" Rose called, bringing me out of my trance. She was already on the dock with the rest of the crew.

"Yes," I called back and walked down the gangplank to my awaiting crew.

_

* * *

_

**_A/N: Yay! We met Alice and Rosalie! Whoo! And I want to let you guys know that this will probably be the only chapter with this many (long) flashbacks. I just wanted you to know Bella's background story and I thought this was a good way to do it. Check out my website! There's pictures of Bella's clothes and the_ Breaking Dawn_ and a developing soundtrack. Oh, and next chapter just might include out favorite boys. (wink, wink, nudge, nudge)_**

_**Yeah, so please review and vote for my poll. Please and thank you! **_

_**Again, if you need me to explain any nautical terms to you, just ask.**_

_**Peace Out Homie Dawg Skillet Biscuits!!! (alrighty, I'm going to stop being weird now)**_

_**Kitti**_


	3. Ch 3 The Pillage

_**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for the reviews! They're awesome! **_

_**So, this will probably be the last update until December 28**__**th**__**. I'm going on a cruise with my family. But I promise to update both of my stories as soon as I get home. And I've got exams this week, so this will definitely be the last one until the end of the month.**_

_**BUT if you are good and review for me, I will find a way to update while I'm away (Internet café! Woot! Woot!)**_

_**I'm going to stop rambling now and let you read, so READ!**_

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Chapter 3: The Pillage

_**(Edward's POV) **_

I watched from the helm of the _New Moon __**(pic on website) **_as my crew prepared to go ashore at Port Royal. My fingers played with the hilt of my father's sword. I looked down and saw the moonlight reflect off the gold-plated hilt.

I sighed, pushing back the memories that flashed through my mind.

I heard footsteps coming up the steps from the main deck. I looked up to see Jasper, my quartermaster and long time friend. The moonlight reflected off of his shaggy blond hair and ice blue eyes.

"We're ready to go ashore, Captain," he said.

I nodded. "Thank you, Jasper."

He nodded in response and headed back down to the main deck. The crew was climbing into the boats that would take us ashore. I climbed into the one that held Jasper, Emmett, my weapon's master and other long time friend, and a few others.

Emmett was very large in both his muscles and height. He and Jasper have been like brothers to me ever since my father was killed in a pirate raid when I was ten. I never knew who my mother was. I'm nineteen now and captain of the one of the most feared pirate crews in the world.

My crew and I are known for our "ruthless" pillaging of other ships and cities in the Caribbean. They say that we kill for no reason and have the blackest of souls. But what they don't know is that we only kill the bilge rats that lurk in the back allies of cities, trying to steal from the innocent and kill those who don't deserve death. We only steal when absolutely necessary. But seeing as some people can't see past the fact that we do kill and steal, we've created a reputation that has gained us the fear of many and the respect of very few.

We reached dock and climbed out of the boats and secured them. We wouldn't be staying for long.

I climbed out of my boat and walked right past my men. "You know what to do," I said.

I saw a few of them smirk and rub their hands together. The crew enjoyed our little raids.

I walked towards the bar that I always went to as my men had their fun. This is where I got all of my information.

I walked through the doors and went straight to the bar. I needed a drink. My mind has been wandering to places that I didn't want it to wander to and it was giving me a headache trying to get myself to focus.

I sat down on one of the empty stools and ordered straight rum. The high class people always said port was better. I preferred rum. Rum's good. _**(A/N: I couldn't resist. If you don't understand the quote, its from PotC: AWE when Jack is debating with himself.) **_That should take care of the headache.

The bartender bought me my drink and left me alone. They knew that I didn't liked to be talked to.

I sat there and sipped my drink, listening to the conversations around me.

Nothing of interest could be heard at first, but then I heard some sailors talking at the other end of the bar. "Did you hear? Captain Swan and her lovely ladies are stocking up again at Tortuga."

This little tidbit of information got me to listen. I've never had the pleasure of meeting Miss Isabella Swan or her crew, but I'm sure that, if we did meet, it would be very interesting, to say the least.

I tuned back into the sailors conversation. "Do you know where they're off to this time?" the other asked.

"No, but they're said to be stopping here at Port Royal before they head off to who knows where," said the first.

Well, it seems Lady Luck is with me today. I would get to meet Captain Swan after all.

Even my crew talked of the lovely ladies of the _Breaking Dawn_. They were said to be all stunningly beautiful and brilliant with a sword. All the men who haven't heard the stories follow after them like lost children. But those who have, stay away and admire them from a safe distance.

I stayed in the bar for a little while longer, finishing my drink and listening again for any other useful pieces of information.

After I was finished, I left the bar and headed back to the docks. I only had to wait about a minute before my men started to show up.

I raised a questioning eyebrow at them and they smirked and held up bags of things that they had taken. I nodded my approval and waited until everyone had arrived.

Once everyone was back on the dock, I said to them, "It seems like we'll be staying here a few extra days."

"Why, Edward?" Emmett asked.

"There's a few people that I would like to meet and they'll be sailing in tomorrow," I said simply. The crew nodded and motioned for everyone to get in the boats.

We rowed back to the _Moon _and stored all of our plunderings in the cargo hold. I walked into my captain's quarters and motioned for Emmett and Jasper to follow.

When Jasper closed the door behind him, he asked, "Who is it that you want to meet?"

I knew this question was coming. "The captain and crew of the _Breaking Dawn_," was all I said.

They stared at me for a moment. "You want to meet the man hating Sea Witch?" Emmett asked, using the name that had been given to Isabella.

"As a matter of fact, yes. She seems like quite the charmer, don't you think?" I asked, giving them an amused smirk. They both already thought that I was off my rocker, so why not play it up a bit? "And her crew is just as welcoming."

"It's official. Edward Masen has gone completely mental," Emmett said, shaking his head sympathetically. "It was only a matter of time."

I laughed, only proving his point more. They shook their heads and laughed with me.

They left after we talked about the happenings of tonight. I removed my boots and my sword and gun belts and unbuttoned my shirt _**(pic on website) **_and laid down on my hammock.

I'd been exhausted lately and I had no idea why. I sighed and got up to blow out the lamp that was sitting on the desk near my hammock and made my way back. I laid down and closed my eyes, hoping to get at least a little bit of rest.

* * *

I woke up the next day, feeling a little better than I did the night before, but not my much.

I rolled out of my hammock and got up and changed into a burgundy colored shirt and black pants. I threw a black coat _**(pic on website) **_on as I smiled at the fact that today was the day that I could meet the infamous Captain Isabella Swan. This would be interesting.

I pulled on my boots and walked out the door of my quarters to see my crew already at work. I looked up at the sky and saw that the sun was already at its highest point. I had slept through the morning. Lovely.

I saw that the crew had sailed us up to the dock, where we would stay until our little meeting was over.

I looked over at the other end of the docks and saw a large ship with bright white sails and a black flag flying in the wind. I grinned. Our guests were here.

I decided that we would meet them tonight. We would be their surprise welcoming party.

I beckoned for Jasper over to me. "About time you woke up," he said as he came over to me.

I didn't respond to that, but just continued with what I was going to say. "I think we'll visit our guests tonight. Does that sound reasonable?"

Jasper nodded. "Sounds perfectly fine with me, Captain."

I laughed. "I was sure it would be. Tell the other for me. I've got some things to finish up." Jasper nodded and went to tell the crew.

I went back to my quarters and sat at the desk that was covered in maps of the Caribbean. I was trying to figure out where we could go next and it was proving to be very difficult.

It was almost time for our visit when I gave up and threw my gun and sword belts back on and walked back out onto the deck. The crew was ready to leave. I saw no one on the docks below.

"It's time."

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A/N: Yay! We finally met Edward, Emmett, and Jasper! Aren't we happy! Hope you liked that. Pictures of all of Edward's clothes and his ship are on my website. Listen to the soundtrack as well.

_**Like I said at the top, I'll update as soon as I get back from my vacation. I think I'll update On Opposite Ends one more time before I leave though.**_

_**Please review! Please and thank you!**_

_**Peace!**_

_**Kitti**_


	4. Ch 4 The Meeting

**_A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for the reviews! They were great! Okay, so I didn't have the heart to leave you guys with a cliffy, so here's another chapter. And this_ will _be the last chapter before I leave for winter break._**

_**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1 (I forgot to put one in last chapter)**_

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Chapter 4: The Meeting

_**(Bella's POV) **_

My crew and I had just finished stocking up at Tortuga when we realized that we needed to make another stop at Port Royal. The main mast of the ship had a crack running through it and the only carpenter that I trusted the _Dawn _with resided there.

We set out at noon that same day, hoping to arrive at Port Royal by tomorrow.

We sailed through the night and arrived early that morning.

We docked and Rose, Alice, and I went ashore and made our way through the not-so-busy streets towards our destination.

I knocked on the door and smiled when a woman about my age answered the door.

"Bella, Rose, Alice! What brings you three you here?" Angela, my carpenter, asked with a smile.

"It seems there's a crack running through my mast and you know that you're the only person I trust with the _Dawn_," I said.

"Ah, I see. Let me get my tools," she said as she disappeared into another room. She came back with a box in her hand. "Shall we?" we asked, gesturing towards the door.

"We shall," I said as we headed back to the ship.

When we arrived, Angela when straight to work assessing the damage and working on the crack.

By the time she finished, it was close to nightfall.

"Thank you, Angela," I said, giving her a hug.

"It's no trouble at all, Bella," she said returning the hug and departing.

I didn't feel like setting off at the moment, so I told the crew to take a load off and get some rest.

I went to my quarters and collapsed on my hammock, rubbing my eyes. I was exhausted. I felt my eyes get heavy and then all went dark.

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(Edward's POV from right after Bella fell asleep)

My crew and I made our way quietly over to where the _Breaking Dawn_ was docked. The only way for us to meet with this pirate captain was to sneak up on her. She didn't like her male guests apparently.

I looked at the ship and didn't even see a crew member on watch. Now that was odd.

I motioned for the rest of my crew to start to move onto the ship. We quietly climbed aboard, making sure not to make too much noise.

I had thought that we were all aboard and that we had done it quietly, but I was proved wring when I heard a crash of a bucket and a muffled curse come from Emmett.

I whipped around to tell him to be quiet, but before I could, a door flew open and about fifteen women came storming out with swords and daggers drawn. My men drew their swords ready to attack, but they knew that I wouldn't approve of them attacking women no matter what. They had us surrounded before we could do anything anyway.

I looked over at Jasper and he nodded, so I slipped to the side of the crew and found a rigging line hanging down from the main mast. I quickly climbed the mast and watched as the women bond my crews wrists and waited for the other captain to show.

_**(Bella's POV)**_

I felt someone shake me awake. "What is it, Alice?" I asked, my voice still groggy from sleep.

"We were ambushed," she said. I sat up, my full attention on her now.

"What happened?" I asked as I pulled my burgundy over shirt over my white shirt _**(pic on website)**_. I was pulling in my boots as she continued.

"They came from the docks, but we stopped them from doing any damage to the ship. There's no need to worry. No one was hurt. Well, they have a few scratches, but they don't count. We've got them tied up out on the deck," she finished.

I let out a sigh of relief and nodded.

I grabbed my sword belt and buckled it on and placed my black captain's hat on my head, my hair flowing freely beneath it.

Alice followed me out of my cabin as I went out onto the deck. I saw my crew standing guard around a group of men (who didn't look that much older than us) who were on the knees with their wrists tied together behind their backs. My crew had their swords out, ready to strike at any sudden movements.

I walked over to where the captives were kneeling. I looked them over. "Well, well, well. What do we have hear?"

"One of them said that their captain wanted to 'meet' you," Rose said. She was glaring down at a very muscular man with dark, curly hair, her sword very close to his neck. He was just staring wide-eyed up at Rose, completely oblivious to the fact that she could cut his head off right then and there.

"And which one of you is the captain?" I asked the captives. Some of them smirked when I asked and their gaze drifted up, but then went back to looking at me.

"That would be me," I heard a velvety voice say from behind me. I spun around looking for whoever had spoken.

I smirked when I found where the voice had come from. "And how exactly did you get up there?" I asked the man who was hanging onto one of the rigging lines above our heads. Some of my crew started to move to get him, but I motioned for them to stop.

I couldn't see his face because of the dim lighting of the moon, but I could see his silhouette.

"Well, you see, there is this amazing thing that I learned to do as a child. It's called climbing. Maybe you've heard of it," he said as he swayed on the rope.

"I may have heard of it once or twice," I said, playing along with his game. The sooner he came down, the easier it would be for him. "But why don't you come down here and join your crew. I'm sure they would love to see their captain again."

"Would you like that, lads?" he asked his crew.

I heard some _aye, captain_'s and _yes, sir_'s. The muscular man said, "I've seen you for most of my life. You can stay up there if you want." Rose tapped him on the head with the flat of her sword. He gave her a wink and she just glared back.

"Thank you, Emmett. It's nice to know that I'm loved," the captain said from his new position on the railing of the ship.

If I couldn't see him before, I could see him now. He had tousled bronze hair that moved in the night breeze and green eyes that glittered like emeralds in the lamp lights. He was lean, but still muscular. And I knew exactly who he was.

"My, my. Well, if it isn't Edward Masen," I said as I crossed my arms over my chest.

He smiled a crooked smile that would make any girl swoon and I almost did. _Get a hold of yourself, woman. Since when did you ever let a man effect you? You've business to attend to_, I scolded myself.

_**(Edward's POV)**_

I jumped down off of the railing and walked towards her, finally getting a good look at her and my, was she beautiful. She had a beautiful heart-shaped face that held a pair of large chocolate brown eyes and a pair of soft-looking, full, pink lips. She had her shoulder blade length mahogany-colored hair under a black tri-cornered hat. Pieces of it framed her beautiful face. She was small, but toned as if she had been working with a weapon for most of her life (which she probably had).

"And you're Isabella Swan," I said when I snapped out of the trance that she had put me in. She raised her head a bit in acknowledgement. "It's been quite a while since I've met such a fine lady of your stature, Miss Swan," I said as I took her hand and brought it to my lips and gave it a gentle kiss. She jumped slightly when my lips touched her hand. But what surprised me was that I felt an electric shock run through me when I touched her skin.

"Did you learn to charm ladies as a child, as well?" she asked with a smirk.

I laughed. "Alas, no. I wasn't the social butterfly that you see in front of you tonight. I liked to stick to my books and all," I said before looking away from her. I gave her a sideways glance. "Is it working?"

She smirked and shook my head. "No, not at all." But I saw something in her eyes that was telling me that she was lying.

I was trying to hold in a smirk when I sighed and said, "It was at least worth a shot."

"And now that we're done with the frivolous part of this conversation," she said, her voice turning serious. "What was the reason for you to come aboard my ship and disturb my crew and I from a peaceful night's rest?"

"Ah, so that's what you want to know. Well, you already know the answer," I said. She cocked an eyebrow at me. "One of your own crew members said that I wanted to meet you and that's exactly what's happening, is it not?"

"Yes," she said skeptically. "But why?"

"Because I wanted the pleasure of meeting you and your lovely crew," I said with a smile.

She looked like her eyes glazed over for a second, but she quickly recovered. "Well, we've met and now I'll let you take your crew with the few scratches they have and get back to your ship."

"Thank you for your kindness, gentle lady," I said, bowing with a flourish. I picked up her hand again and gave it a lingering kiss, my eyes never leaving hers.

"And now we must be off." I looked over at her and she motioned for her crew to untie my crew. Once they were all free, they all went to stand behind me. I could feel that some of them were glaring, others were ogling (Emmett and Jasper) at members of Isabella's crew (a tall blond woman with icy blue eyes and a short pixie girl with black hair and green eyes).

"Until we meet again, Miss Swan," I said with another bow. I then turned and disappeared into the night with my crew before something else happened.

_**(Bella's POV)**_

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. "Um, alright, let's get this mess cleaned up and then you all can call it a night." They all nodded and got to work. I motioned for Rose and Alice to come to my cabin for a moment.

"What was all of that about?" I asked when the door was shut.

"What was all of what about?" Rose asked.

"What was _he_ doing?" I asked, exasperated.

"He was obviously flirting with you," Alice said. "And he did it without infuriating you in a moment's time." She raised an eyebrow at me. "Are you going soft on us?"

"What? No," I sputtered. "He, he, he wasn't flirting with me, alright!" I finally got out.

"Yes and the water isn't blue," Rose said sarcastically.

I shot her a glare. "What about you? We're you really glaring at Emmett or were ogling him like he was ogling you?"

She looked offended. "Oh, yes. I just love to ogle at idiots. It's one of my favorite past times. No! He was causing trouble and I wasn't in the mood to deal with the likes of him."

I gave her a skeptical look. I was about to open my mouth to respond, but Alice cut me off. "Would you two stop fighting for two seconds! We know that Emmett and Edward were obviously ogling you both, so just drop the subject."

"Oh, and that really tall blond man, he wasn't staring at you at all," Rose said sarcastically.

"Yes, I realized that he was and his name is Jasper Whitlock and he is Edward's quartermaster on the _New Moon_," she said. Rose and I just looked at her. "What can I say? Use what resources you have. They might just come in handy one day."

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(Edward's POV, back on the New Moon)

Emmett, Jasper, and I walked into my cabin and closed the door. I went to sit down in the chair behind my desk. Emmett fell down onto another chair, staring off into space with a goofy grin on his face. Jasper leaned against the cabin wall with a smaller smile on his face.

"What's up with you two?" I asked.

Emmett sighed. "I think I'm in love."

I sighed. This was a normal occurrence with Emmett. "What's her name?" I asked. He blinked once and cursed. "You don't know her name, do you?"

"No," he pouted. I was actually very entertaining to watch a grown man like Emmett pout. His face brightened up. "I could go back and find out."

"No, you can't. No one is going back to that ship tonight," I said.

"Fine, I'll just go tomorrow," he said. I opened my mouth to tell him no, but he cut me off. "You said no is going back _tonight_. _Tomorrow_ is not tonight."

I just shook my head at him and turned my attention to Jasper. "And what about you?"

Jasper sighed. I had never seen him like this before. He was always the level headed one on the ship. He looked at me. "I'm going to have to agree with Emmett on this one, Captain. I'm in love."

I was shocked, to say the least. "And do you know who you're in love with?" I asked.

"Her name is Alice Brandon. She Isabella's quartermaster. She's an angel," he sighed.

"You're a match made in heaven," I said dully. "Alright, now that you two have made your confessions of love, leave."

"But wait, Almighty Captain," Emmett said dramatically. I hated it went he called me that. "What about you? Your eyes never left Isabella, not once."

"What? Are you accusing me of ogling another captain that could easily wipe the floor with any man that came in contact with her?" I asked incredulously.

"Yes," they replied simultaneously with devious grins on their faces.

"You two are absurd," I said with a shake of my head. But a small voice in the back of my head told me that they might be on to something.

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A/N: Yay! They finally met each other! Whoo! Anyway, this will be the last update until the 28 of December.

_**I'll update both of my stories as soon as I get back.**_

_**Please review and vote for my poll! I want at least 100 votes before I close it. Please and thank you!**_

_**I want to wish all of you a Merry Christmas, or Happy Chanukah, or Happy Cuanza (I think that's how you spell that), or whatever holiday you may celebrate and I'll update on the 28**__**th**__**.**_

_**Peace!**_

_**Kitti**_


	5. Ch 5 The Race

_**A/N: Hey Guys! I'm So sorry for not updating yesterday when I said I would. We got back to the airport late and then we had to get our baggage and then when I got home, my inbox was swamped with emails. GAH! I'm going insane! Anyway, I'm going to stop talking now and let you read. This is my late Christmas gift to you all. Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1**_

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Chapter 5: The Race

_**(Bella's POV) **_

My crew and I woke up the next day, ready to set for our next voyage.

Alice was working on the on other side of the ship, closer to the docks. I heard her bell-like laugh ring out over the rest of the rest of the crew.

"What's so funny, Alice?" I called from the helm.

"It seems that we've snagged a few admirers," she called.

"Really? Who is it this time?" I asked.

She giggled. "Captain Edward Masen and his quartermaster. Oh, and that big fellow that likes to ogle at Rose."

"I resent that," I heard Rose call from the starboard side of the _Dawn_.

"Why can't they leave us alone?" I muttered to myself. "Let them come aboard. I need to speak with the captain."

"Aye, Captain," she called and went back to the work.

I went into my quarters and gathered the maps we would need when I heard Alice's voice mixed with three deeper voices. The men were here.

I walked out of my cabin and saw Alice punching the big man in the arm. I laughed when he flinched a little.

Captain Masen's head whipped up when he heard me. A crooked smile appeared on his face. My heart skipped a beat. _Stop it_, I told myself.

After I composed myself, I walked over to where they were standing. "To who do we owe the pleasure of this unexpected visit, Captain Masen?" I asked as politely as I could.

"Oh please, call me Edward, Miss Swan. I feel frightfully old when you call me that," he said.

"Alright, Edward, to who do we owe the pleasure of this visit?" I asked again.

"No one but yourself. Actually, one of the reasons we're here because these two," He pointed at the other two men with him. "wanted to see those two lovely ladies again." He gestured towards Alice and Rose.

The other two men stiffened and glared at Edward. He just smirked at them. Alice and Rose giggled.

He chuckled at his companions. "Oh, I've been terribly rude. This is Jasper Whitlock, my quartermaster," Edward said as he pointed to the tall, blond man, who nodded. "And this is Emmett McCarty, my weapons-master." He pointed to the large, muscular man.

"It's nice to meet you," I said politely. "This is Alice Brandon, my quartermaster, and this is Rosalie Hale, my weapons-master," I said, gesturing at Alice and Rose.

Edward nodded to each of them in greeting.

"Would you mind is we speak in private?" I asked him.

"Not at all," he said with his crooked smile.

I head my head at him and spun on my heel to walk back to my quarters. I heard his footsteps behind me.

I closed the door behind me after he walked into the room. "Please, have a seat," I said to him, motioning to the seat on the other side of my desk.

He sat as I went to take my seat on the other side of the desk and got straight to the point. "What can I do to get you to leave my crew and myself alone?"

He chuckled. "So that's what this is about. Alright, how about we have a little race?"

"A race?" I asked. _Alright, if it works_, I thought. "What are the rules of this race?" I asked. If this was the only way to get rid of him, then I would do it.

"It's quite simple really. The first one to reach Tortuga and get to the Shipwreck Bar is the winner. See very simple," he said as he leaned back in his chair.

"And the stakes?" I asked. This should be interesting.

"If you win, then my crew and I will leave you alone for the rest of time, but if I when, well… you'll see," he said.

I considered this for a second. I knew that this could be my last chance to get him to leave us alone and I knew that the _Dawn _was fast enough to get to Tortuga first. "Fine. We have a deal." I stuck my hand out for a hand shake. He shook my hand and stood. "May the best captain win," he said. I nodded in reply. Then he kissed the back of the hand that he shook that he was still holding. The same electric shock shot up my am.

When he finally let go of my hand, I walked around my desk and opened the door to go back out onto the deck.

I opened the door for Edward and we both walked out to find Rose holding Emmett in a headlock.

"I don't want to know," Edward and I said together. We looked at each other and he smirked. I just rolled my eyes.

"Come along, lads," Edward called to Emmett and Jasper. "We've got a race to win." He smirked at me again. I just shook my head at him.

"Rose, let go of him. He's turning purple," I called with a laugh.

"Fine," she sighed and let go of Emmett's neck.

He sucked in a huge breath. "Wow," he said with awe after he could breathe normally again.

Rose laughed and walked over to where I was standing. Alice waved at Jasper, who had an awestruck look on his face, and skipped over to me and Rose.

Emmett and Jasper walked over to where Edward was standing. Edward tipped his hat to me. "Miss Swan." And with that he turned towards the gangplank and was gone.

"What did he mean when he said that he had a race to win?" Alice asked when they were gone.

"Edward and I made a deal that if I could beat him to Tortuga and to the Shipwreck Bar then he would leave us alone," I explained.

"Well, we need to get a move on, if we want to win. Look, the _New Moon_ is already leaving," Rose said, pointing at Edward's ship. I spun around to see that the _New Moon_ was, in fact, already out of its place at the dock.

"All hand's on deck! Ready the sails!" I called to my crew. I turned to Alice and Rose as the crew came on deck to start working. "I refuse to lose to that man."

They nodded in agreement and went to work.

* * *

We had been sailing for a few hours now and we had past the _New Moon_ one hour back. "Finally," I sighed and leaned against the railing when could no longer see Edward's ship on the horizon.

Alice was at the helm, steering us towards Tortuga. We only had a few more hours to go until we reached out destination.

So I watched and waited.

* * *

We pulled into the docks at Tortuga at nightfall with no sign of the _New Moon_ anywhere near us.

I told the crew that they could rest for now and that I was going ashore. I put Alice in charge and left for the Shipwreck Bar.

I twisted my way trough the still-busy streets of Tortuga to the designated meeting location, sure that I was going to win.

I opened the doors to the bar and my mouth fell open. Sitting at one of the tables, drinking a tankard of rum, was Edward Masen.

I went over to where he was sitting, still shocked. "How did you get here before me? We past you hours ago," I asked, flabbergasted.

"A good pirate never reveals his secrets," he said with a wink.

I fell into the only open spot on the bench, which happened to be next to Edward. I sighed in defeat. "Well, obviously you're not going to leave us alone now, so what do you want?"

He didn't say anything, he just started across the room. "Well? What's it going to be?"

He leaned over to me and whispered into my ear, "If you play along, I'll let you pick part of my prize."

"Play along with what?" I asked, seriously confused. "You'll see." He slid his arm around my waste and pulled me closer to him and then he picked me up and placed me in his lap.

"What are you doing?" I asked, outrage. I tried to slide off of his lap, but he just held me tighter.

"Shh!" he said and nodded to two women, who looked to be about my age, coming towards the table.

The two girls came up to our table and smiled flirtatiously at Edward. One was tall and had blond hair and blue eyes, but was sickly thin. The other had curly brunette hair and brown eyes and was short and stocky. They both had on too much make-up and wearing dresses that were better suited for the whorehouse.

"Hello, Edward," they said together, trying to sound seductive. Now I understood.

Edward looked up at the two girls and nodded diplomatically. "Hello, Lauren. Jessica."

The one named Lauren looked at me. "Who's your friend, Edward?" she asked. I could hear some scorn in her voice.

Edward opened his mouth to introduce me, but I cut him off. "I'm Marie. It's a pleasure to meet you." I didn't want anyone to know that I was associating with Edward. It would ruin my reputation.

"Oh." Then she turned back to Edward and said, "Maybe you and I could go somewhere a little more private." She said it like I wasn't even there.

"Sorry, ladies. I'm a little busy tonight," Edward said as he pulled me closer to his chest and kissed my neck. I shivered at the contact.

"Come on now, Eddie," the one called Jessica said. "You know you want to." Again, like I wasn't even there.

"He said he was busy," I hissed at them. Then I surprised myself, and Edward, by pulling myself closer to Edward by wrapping my arms around his neck and kissing the skin right below his ear. I felt him shivered slightly. I glared back up at them and they flinched back and walked away quickly.

When they were gone, he chuckled. I turned to ask his what was funny when I realized that I was still holding onto him. I let go immediately and slid off of his lap and back into my seat. "What's so funny?"

He chuckled again. "Did I sense a hint of jealousy a moment ago, _Marie_?" He raised an eyebrow at me.

"What? No! They were annoying me. And I wanted to know what part of your prize I get to pick."

He laughed. "Alright, if you insist."

"Yes, I insist," I said. "Now, what do you want from me?"

He pretended to think for a moment, but I already knew that he knew what he wanted. "Well…" he said, pulling out a worn piece of cloth and laying it on the table in between us. He opened it and on it was a picture of a small box with intricate carvings on it's surface. "I need to find this."

I just looked at him. "A box?"

"Not just any box. I can't go into detail while we're out here, but if you would accompany me to my ship, I will tell everything you need to know."

"Fine," I said and got up from the table. Edward put the cloth back in his pocket and stood up as well.

He led me from the bar and took me in the opposite direction of the docks. "Where are we going?"

"My own private dock," was all he said. Of course he would have his own dock in Tortuga.

We made our way through the streets of Tortuga and over to Edward's dock. The _New Moon's_ lanterns and torches lit up the area.

He led me onboard and over to his captain's quarters. He gestured to the seat on the other side of the desk from which he sat.

He sat and started to explain. "That box that I showed you holds the key to the lost treasure of Cortez. And yes, I know it sounds crazy, and I know it does, but it exists. My father found the key himself, but another pirate stole it and… killed him." He stopped talking for a moment. I looked into his eyes when he spoke of his father and saw, not the fun-loving, witty charmer that I had met, but a lost and hurt child that had lost someone very close to them. "I'm sorry, Edward," I said. "I know what it's like to lose a father."

He looked me in the eyes. "You're father was killed?"

I nodded stiffly, not wanting to bring the memories back. "By pirates."

He nodded and we said nothing more about the subject. "So what's the rest of the story?"

He took a deep breath and continued. "The pirate stole the key from my father and somehow lost it in the La Push Isles." He pointed to a small group of islands on the map in front of us in the North Atlantic. "The treasure is said to be located there too."

"So what do you need me for?" I asked.

"I need a fast ship that can get me to the Isles before the end of the summer."

"I still don't get why you need me. The _New Moon _is just as fast as the _Dawn_," I said.

"The _Moon_ is in need of a few repairs. I was surprised that we beat you here in the first place," Edward confessed.

I didn't know how I could refuse. My father had taught me from birth to never go back on my word, so I said, "Alright, but there are conditions."

"Understandably," he said with a nod. "What are your conditions?"

"If we're to make a voyage this long, then we'll need more supplies, more crew members, and if any of the male crew members does anything to upset my crew, then I will personally make sure that they can no longer have children. Is that understood?"

"Very much so," he said. "And all of the other conditions are already taken care of."

"Very well then. When do you want to set sail?" I asked.

"Tomorrow, if possible," he said.

I nodded. "That will work. Just make sure that all of the supplies we need are on onboard before sunrise."

"Well, if that is what we need to do, let me get my men and we'll sail over to your ship and start loading."

I nodded. "Go ahead. I'll be right here." I smiled a sickly-sweet smile and propped my feet up on his desk.

He walked towards the door, chuckling. "I'm sure you will be."

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A/N: There you go! Hope you enjoyed it! I'll update On Opposite Ends tomorrow, even though I said I would do it yesterday. I've been having trouble with that chapter.

_**Anyway, please review and vote for my poll! Please and thank you!**_

_**Peace!**_

_**Kitti **_


	6. Ch 6 The Start

_**A/N: I'm sorry that's it's taken so long! My computer decided to crash on me, but now I've got it fixed (obviously). Thanks for being patient with me. Thanks for the reviews and all of the stuff that comes with them. They're awesome! Well, I'll let you read now, so READ!**_

_**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1**_

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Chapter 6: The Start

_**(Bella's POV)**_

Edward and his crew had finished transferring all of the cargo from his ship to mine a few hours ago and now it was time for us to head out.

I had given the men the deck below my crews' barracks (also know as the bilge). Oh well, they were men, they could handle it. I grudgingly gave Edward one of the spare rooms in my cabin. He was the other captain after all.

The thought of him being so close was a bit unsettling, but I just shook off the feeling and put my mind to better use than worrying over my feelings. (I could do that later, if needed.)

I was talking to my crew for a moment in their barracks while I let the men set up the riggings and ready the sails. "Alright, ladies. I know that they aren't our preferable visitors, but we're just going to have to deal with them, but if any of them try something funny one any of you, do know hesitate to tell me. Their captain already knows what will happen if they try."

They all nodded. Some of them were grinning. "And I don't want any of you trying to get them in trouble either. This voyage is too long for us to lose needed crew members." Some of the grins disappeared. "But you can have your fun with them when we make port." The grins returned.

I laughed at them after I dismissed them. This was going to be an interesting trip.

I walked back up the steps to the main deck, but I ran into a hard body at the top. I lost my balance but two strong-looking arms reached out to catch and balance me. I looked up to see Edward standing there, holding me too close for comfort.

"Would you mind telling me why you were standing at the top of the steps, not moving?" I asked after I caught my breath.

"Waiting for you to reveal your lovely face, of course," he said with a smirk. I just rolled my eyes and pulled myself from his grip (which was harder than it sounded).

"Alright, now what's the real reason?" I asked as I crossed my arms over my chest.

"I've just come to tell you that everything is ready to go, _Captain_," he said, emphasizing the word captain. I just smirked at that.

"Thank you, _Captain_," I said back. I didn't need him acting all "you are my superior" with me. And with that I moved around him and walked up the stairs to reach the helm of the ship. This was going to be a long three months.

* * *

We had left port only three hours ago and then I heard the crashing of someone hitting the deck. I sighed and left my cabin to see what the problem was.

I walked out onto the deck and heard one of the men cursing while he held his nose. It was bleeding very badly. I looked up to see Kate standing over him. "There's more where that came from," she said, her voice full of venom. Kate was one of crew with a stronger hatred for men than most of the other crew members.

"What's going on here?" I asked, finally making my presence known.

Kate turned around and said, "This idiot over here," she motioned to the man on the ground, "decided that it would be a good idea to bother me."

"I see that," I said, holding my breath. I could smell the blood from where I was standing and it was making me slightly nauseous. "But what did he do that was so bad that made you decide to punch him?"

"Well," she said and then started to tick things off with her fingers. "First, he decided to stare at me. I got over that. Second, he wouldn't leave me alone after a while. And finally, he decided to use his hands for things that could get him seriously injured on this ship." She spat in his direction and it landed on his boots.

I looked down at the man. "I'm assuming your captain told you what would happen if you decided to bother one of my crew members."

"Yes, I did actually." I turned my head to see Edward walking down the steps from the helm. He had a somewhat angry expression on his face.

"Well, then you must not have been listening very well," I said to the man. "I won't do anything now, because Kate has already done it for me. But if you try anything funny, you might as well let your hair grow out and find yourself a woman's name, because you won't have any male-like qualities left."

No one said anything, but I saw some of the men bring their hands down to cover themselves. I tried to hold back a smile.

Then Edward spoke up. "And that goes for everyone." I just looked at him with a raised eyebrow. He held his hands up like he was surrendering. "Hey, I want children."

"Well, I'm glad you value your manhood. Apparently, some of your crew doesn't," I said, looking over at the man who was still on the ground.

"Apparently." He turned to the man that had finally gotten off the ground. "Michael, clean yourself up and report to me immediately after," Edward said before turning and walking back up the stairs to the helm.

"Ooo, you're in trouble now, Newton!" Emmett called from the other side of the deck. Jasper hit upside the head. "Ow! What was that for? You know you wanted to say it too." Jasper just shook his head.

I laughed quietly and turned to Kate. "If you wouldn't mind cleaning this up," I gestured towards the puddle of blood on the deck, "It would be much appreciated."

"But--" I cut her off.

"No buts," I said and walked back into my cabin. This was going to be a _very _long three months.

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(Edward's POV)

I was in my cabin room (the one that Isabella gave me), my head in my hands. Why couldn't my crew act for a few hours? I told them that they could do whatever they wanted when we got to our next stop, but apparently that wasn't good enough for some of them.

I sat back in my chair and waited for Newton to show up. I didn't have to wait long. Most of the crew knew not to procrastinate when I needed to speak with one of them.

Newton came into the room and stood there in the doorway. "Come in, Newton," I said. "Close the door." He did as I asked.

"You wanted to see me, Captain?" he asked. He was sucking up and playing innocent again. Newton was notorious for being the suck up of the crew.

"Mmm, yes. Do you remember me telling you and the rest of the crew about bothering the women on this ship?" I asked, getting straight to the point.

"Yes, sir," he said.

"Then why, pray tell, did you get punched in the nose earlier today by one of the women?" I asked. This was going to be good.

"Well, she was looking at me first. I was quite uncomfortable with it, sir. So, I decided to go and ask her to stop, when she punched me without a single reason," he said.

_That_ was probably the single stupidest thing I've ever heard come out of anyone's mouth.

"That, Mr. Newton, is a load of bull and you know it. And you know that I know, so why do you continue to make up stories that no one in their right mind would believe?"

"I, uh, well, she---" I cut him off.

"Mr. Newton, this is your last warning. If you do another thing to upset any of these women, then I will be the first person to give them permission to do whatever they please with you," _Then again, they may not even ask for my permission_, I thought to myself.

"Aye, Captain," he said. I heard his voice shaking slightly. I tried to hold in a grin, but I could see where he was coming from. The women on this ship were fierce creatures and they knew it. They weren't afraid to take on a few men.

"You may go now," I said with a wave of my hand. He turned quickly and headed for the door. "Oh, and Mr. Newton?"

"Yes, Captain?" he asked, still slightly nervous.

"I advise that you tell the rest of the crew because, unless they want the same treatment, they better keep to themselves," I said. He nodded quickly and left.

I fell back in my chair. This was going to be a _very_ long three months.

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(Bella's POV)

We sailed for the rest of the day without anymore fights (but there were some very scared looking men aboard the ship after the first fight).

It was just before nightfall when we docked at one of the nearby islands along the way. There was too much tension between the crews at the moment and it was clogging the air around the ship. I had to get out and I could tell that everyone else felt the same way.

The crews had split up and gone their separate ways (the men traveling very quickly away from my crew).

I made my way over to one of the bars and sat heavily on one of the stools at the bar and ordered a tankard of rum. I was exhausted and I needed a drink. I heard a chuckle come from behind me. I didn't even turn around, I knew who it was. Edward. He sat down next to me and ordered one as well.

"What are you doing here?" I asked as the bartender came back with our drinks. I took mine and took a long drink.

"Can a man come to a bar to get a refreshing drink without a reason?" he asked.

"Yes, a normal man, but your not normal," I said as I took another drink.

"I don't know whether I should be insulted or honored," he said.

"I'll let you choose," I said, not wanting to argue.

"I'll take that as a compliment. I didn't take you as a rum type of person," he said suddenly.

"You learn something new everyday." I took another drink and drained the cup and set it back on the bar. The bartender came back over and I nodded to the empty cup. He nodded and went to fill it again and brought it back. I picked it up immediately and drank half of it. I almost laughed out loud at myself. I felt like I was drowning my worries with rum.

I set my tankard back on the bar and looked over and saw that Edward was still slowly drinking his first tankard, watching me all the while.

I looked into his green eyes and I felt like I was being hypnotized. I felt my eyes slowly shutting and then all went black.

**(Edward's POV)**

I saw Isabella's eyes slowly flutter shut and I knew that she had fallen asleep. She had looked exhausted when she sat down at the bar and the rum wasn't helping her much.

I set my tankard down and set some coins on the bar to pay for our drinks and then I scooped Isabella up into my arms and carried her out of the bar and headed back to the ship. No one around here thought this was an odd sight at all.

I looked down at her face and saw that she was even more beautiful when she was asleep. Yes, I admit it, she is beautiful. Her face was peaceful, free from all of the stress and worry from earlier today.

I jumped a bit when I felt her move a bit in my arms. She snuggled closer to my chest, her head resting there. I smiled a bit.

It was still early, so I knew no one would be back anytime soon. I boarded the ship and took Isabella to her quarters and laid her gently on her hammock. She sighed but didn't wake up.

I hesitated for a moment. Then I reached down and gently brushed away some hair that had fallen into her face.

I smiled down at her again and headed over to my quarters for the night.

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A/N: Once again, I'm so sorry for the wait! I hope you liked this chapter. I'll update On Opposite Ends as soon as possible. Thanks again for being patient with me.

_**Please review and vote for my poll if you haven't already. Please and thank you!**_

_**Peace!**_

_**Kitti**_


	7. Ch 7 The Disappearance

**_A/N: Hey guys! I'm so sorry for the long wait! I've been having trouble writing this chapter and, frankly, it wasn't working to well. Thanks for all the reviews and all that jazz that comes with it. I don't have anything to ramble about at the moment, so I'll just let you read._**

**_Disclaimer: See Chapter 1_**

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Chapter 7: The Disappearance

**_(Bella's POV)_**

**_The Next Morning… _**

I woke up the next morning with a nasty headache. I could see the bright sunlight through my eyelids and it only made the pain worse. I tried to stand up, but I was pushed back down. "What the---" I trailed off and opened my eyes finally. Alice was sitting on the stool next to my hammock, obviously waiting for me to get up.

"Take it easy, Captain," she said, her voice softer than usual.

"Why is my head throbbing? What happened last night?" I asked, not able to recall any of the past night's events.

"You decided that downing two tankards of rum would be a good idea and then you passed out. Thankfully Edward was there to bring you back to the ship," she said, much too fast for me to process all at once.

"Wait, Edward was there?" She nodded. And then it all came back to me. The bar. Talking to Edward. Looking into his eyes before everything went black.

"Oh," was all I could say before I blew chunks into the bucket that was next to my hammock (Alice was a smart girl). This was why I didn't drink rum that much. I always got sick. But apparently that fact slipped my mind last night.

"Bella, Bella, Bella," Alice said as she rubbed my back. When I was finished, she said, "I'll go get you some water." I nodded pathetically and she disappeared out the door. She came back with some water and I rinsed the bile taste out of my mouth. I felt my eyelids get heavy again and I just let them close me off from the world around me.

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Midday…

I opened my eyes to the bright light of the midday sun shining through my window and the sound of the waves crashing against the sides of the ship. I turned my head and yelped and turned, trying to get away, forgetting I was in my hammock, and fell flat on my face.

"What are you doing here?" I grumbled into the floor as Edward chuckled quietly at my not-so graceful moment.

"Apparently I've been put on nurse duty," he said, still chuckling.

"Alright, now what are you really doing here?" I asked again. I wasn't in the mood for his games.

"That was the real reason. Alice told me to come and watch you. I told her it wasn't a very good idea, because I knew you would react this way, but, frankly, Alice is very frightening for someone her size," he explained.

I laughed into the floor (I wasn't in the mood to move). "So you, a full grown man, are afraid of a girl who almost two feet shorter than you?"

"Yes. Yes, I am. If she can make Emmett shake then I have a reason to be scared," he said. Alright, I had to admit that was logical… and hilarious. I burst into laughter. Wow, he's probably thinking that I'm crazy or something along the lines of not being right in the head.

"Isabella, are you alright?" he asked, his tone questioned my sanity. Yep, I was right.

I caught my breath and nodded. "I'm fine," I said as I finally pulled myself off the ground. I was almost up when a massive wave decided to knock the ship to one side. I stumbled forward, I threw my arms out to catch myself, but my hands never touched the floor. I felt a pair of strong arms around my waist. I looked up and saw that Edward had caught me around the waist. I was actually thankful that he was there for once. As much as some people would like to disagree, I didn't actually enjoy falling flat on my face (I had a bit of a clumsy streak when I was younger).

"Are you alright?" Edward asked again as he looked into my eyes with his green ones. His eyes glimmered in the sunlight.

"Yes," I said shaking myself out of the trance that he had put me in. That was something that I would definitely have to avoid. I didn't even like the man that much. Alright, that was lie. I do like him… a bit. I tolerate him. _But why do you get a fluttery feeling in your stomach every time he looks at you_, a traitorous voice inside my head said. I shook the voice from my thoughts, not wanting to let myself think about those types of things.

Someone knocked on the door and opened the door. Alice walked in and stopped moving when she saw us and smirked. "Well, don't you two look comfy," she said with a hint of humor in her tone. It was then that I realized that Edward's arms were still around my waist. I gasped and jumped out of his arms. I felt my face heat up as I blushed.

"I fell," I said, trying to hold on to the last little bit of dignity I had left.

Alice just raised her eyebrow at me, but dropped the subject and got to the point of her visit. "Well, I heard hysterical laughter and that only happens when the captain over here is either extremely tired or extremely drunk or…" she trailed off when she realized that I was glaring at her. "Anyway, I just came to check on you and you seem to be doing fine, so I'll just leave." And then she was gone.

It was quiet for a moment. "Well, that was interesting. What was that other thing that Alice was about to say? I would really like to know," Edward asked.

"Well, I hope you like disappointment because that's what you're getting," I said, walking towards the door of my cabin. But before I could get any father than a few feet, Edward grabbed my wrist. I turned around to tell him to let go, but I couldn't find the words. I should have known not to look into his eyes. They were mesmerizing, like emeralds glittering in the light of the sun.

"Actually, I don't like disappointment. It's not something I'm used to feeling and I don't plan to start now," he said in a light voice. He started to walk towards me and I backed up with each step until I ran into the wall. He placed his arms on either side of my head. "Now, Isabella, what was Alice about to say?"

I couldn't think straight. There was something about this man that made my head spin and it was making me very uncomfortable. "N-nothing," I finally stuttered out.

"Oh, Isabella. I know that's not true," he said, looking into my eyes.

"I-it is t-to," I stuttered. This stuttering thing had to stop.

He shook his head and started to run his nose along the line of my jaw. My mind clouded over and I forgot what he was saying. "Tell me what she was going to say. Please, Isabella. It won't hurt anything."

"Extremely happy," I sighed out and then I remembered what I was saying. I clamped my mouth shut as he smiled and lifted his arms up. As soon as I could move, I sprinted out of the room and onto the deck.

I can't believe I told him. It's not that it's extremely important, but I didn't want him to get the wrong idea. Well, that's what I kept telling myself. I didn't want him to think that I was even remotely interested in him.

But the truth was, I was way more interested than I should be.

_**(Edward's POV)**_

I smiled as she scurried out the door of the cabin. So that's what Alice was saying. Isabella's words drifted through my head. _Extremely happy_. I made her happy… either that or the effects of the rum were still making her act this way. I preferred the former and she did seem fine when she woke up, aside from the fact that she almost fell on her face twice (wait, no she actually did fall on her face once).

I went out onto the deck, looking for Isabella. I saw that she was standing at the opposite end of the ship, so I went up and stood near the helm where Jasper was steering. "So, Captain, I heard that Isabella and yourself were found in a very compromising position. Is it true?"

I looked over at him. "Who told you that?" He nodded towards the small pixie girl working near Isabella. "Ah, I should have known. And I guess you could say it was true, even if it was unintentional."

"Unintentional how?" he asked.

"She tripped in her cabin and I caught her, that's when Alice walked in, hence the somewhat compromising position," I explained. I didn't mind the fact that it was unintentional. I just liked the fact that I could be near her. She was like no one woman I had ever met in my entire life. And I couldn't bring myself to stay away from her.

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Later that night…

It was a relatively calm night and the crew had decided to practice their sword fighting (which meant that the men would be betting against each other). The lanterns were lit and the full moon shone down on the deck. The light reflected off the flashing steel as the blades clashed together.

At the moment, Emmett and Jasper were going at it, sweat dripping down their faces. Their swords clashed together countless times before Jasper flicked his wrist and sent Emmett's sword flying across the deck.

"You cheated! You know you did!" Emmett exclaimed as Jasper laughed.

"I did not. You just lost and you don't want to except that fact. Now give me the money," Jasper said as he slid his sword back in its sheath and waited for Emmett to give him his money.

I laughed and Emmett turned to glare at me. "Well, why don't you try, Oh Mighty Captain?"

"Fine," I said, walking down the steps that led to the helm of the ship. "Who's it to be?"

"Me," I heard a feminine voice say from behind me. I turned around and saw Isabella standing behind me, twirling her sword in her hand.

"Are you sure?" I asked. "This morning you were a little tipsy." I smirked at her, remembering how her eyes glazed over when I talked to her.

She smiled a sickly sweet smile and plucked her dagger out of its sheath faster than I could see and flung it at the mast. It imbedded itself about an inch about above Mike's head. His eyes were wide with shock. I wouldn't be surprised if he passed out. The rest of the crew stared at Isabella in shock. They had never seen a woman throw a dagger like that before. I turned back to Isabella. "I think I'll be alright," she said, the smile still plastered on her face.

I heard a thud from behind me. I looked over my shoulder and saw that Mike had indeed just passed out. I shook my head at him. I nodded to two of my men and they moved Mike out of the way. I turned back to Isabella. "Well, after that, I'd say you're just fine."

She nodded and walked past me, smacking my bum with the flat of her sword on the way. I jumped at the contact. She looked over her shoulder and winked. Her crew was laughing out right and mine was whistling. I gave them all indignant looks and walked over to stand across from Isabella. I held my sword up and matched her position.

"Go!" Jasper called and faster than I was expecting she lashed out with her sword. Thankfully, I was prepared for situations like this. I threw my sword up in time to block her attack.

She attacked again with lightening speed. She whipped her sword down and in, aiming low. I dodged and finally got to attack. I brought my sword up and brought it down fast only to be blocked by Isabella's blade.

I attacked again, swinging up instead of down, only to be blocked once again. Where had she learned to fight like this?

We continued this rhythm, neither one of us actually getting a touch on one another, for almost twenty more minutes.

"Let's call it a draw," she said once I blocked her again. I nodded, agreeing. I slid my sword back into its sheath as she did.

"Where did you learn to fight like that? I've only known one other woman who could," I said, moving to the side of the ship. The crews had gone back to battling it out for money and weren't paying attention to us.

She pulled the bandana off her head that was holding her hair out of her face and let her shiny mahogany hair fall all around her face. If I had any air left in my lungs, it would no longer be there. She looked breathtaking (no pun intended).

"My father taught me the basics when I was young and I taught myself the rest," she said as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

"You taught yourself how to fight like _that_?" I asked, clearly surprised.

"Mhmm. Who was the other woman?" she asked, curious.

"My mother," I told her. "My father taught her. He wanted to make sure that she could protect herself if he wasn't around."

"Your parents sounds like a wonderful people," she said quietly.

"They were," I said, smiling a sad smile. It was hard for me to think about my parents, so I changed the subject. "Can your crew fight like that?"

"Most of them can. Some are better than others. They all have their specialties," she explained. "What abut your crew? Can they fight like their mighty captain?" she asked with a smile.

I laughed. "Most of them can with a few exceptions," I said, looking over at Mike. She turned her gaze to where mine was and she laughed her beautiful laugh.

"Why do you keep him around anyway?" she asked, still laughing.

I opened my mouth to give her a logical reason, but then I closed it. "To tell you the truth, I really don't know."

She laughed again, but was interrupted when one of her crew called down from the crow's nest. "Captain, there's a ship gaining on us."

Isabella rushed over to the starboard side of the ship, pulling out her telescope in the process. She took a quick look and gasped. "What is it?" I asked, concerned.

"Black sails," she breathed, her breath was shaky. "Black sails," she called louder. Her crew sprung into action.

Alice started calling out orders. I was completely confused. "Isabella, what about black sails?" She didn't answer. "Isabella, tell me."

"I'll tell you later, but now we need to get away from that ship," she said. "Don't just stand there. Get your crew to do something useful," she commanded and then ran off to help her crew.

I turned around and saw my crew standing there. "You heard her. Do something useful. Get to it," I commanded and they all went off in different directions.

The sails were all down and the wind, thankfully, was blowing. We were just picking up speed when I heard Rosalie ask, "Where did they go? Captain, they're not behind us anymore."

"What do you mean they're not behind us anymore?" Isabella asked as she pulled out her telescope again. She slammed it closed, cursed, and turned to Rosalie. "You're right. They're not there anymore, but I don't want to take any chances. Keep the sails down and keep us moving at this pace," she told Rosalie.

"Yes, Captain," and with that she went to tell the crews.

"Isabella, what's going on? What do the color of a ship's sails have to do with anything? And where did that ship go?" I asked.

"I don't know where the ship went and if we're dealing with the people on that ship, that isn't a good thing." She sighed. "Come to the cabin. I'll tell you the whole story."

I followed her into the cabin and closed the door behind me. "What's this whole thing about?"

She took a deep breath and started to tell her story. "It all started when my father's ship was attacked…"

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A/N: Ooo, a disappearing ship. Creepy, ain't it? LOL. Anyway, I hope you liked that.

_**Once again, I am so sorry for the long wait. I've been very busy for the past few weeks.**_

_**Please review and vote for my poll if you haven't yet. Please and thank you!**_

_**I'm keeping this one short. Peace!**_

_**Kitti**_


	8. Ch 8 The Story

_**A/N: Hey guys. I'm sooooooo sorry about the wait. Things have been crazy around here lately and I haven't had time to write. Thanks for the reviews and all that jazz. Anyway, I'm going to stop my rambling and let you read, so READ!**_

_**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1**_

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_**Previously on **_**The Isles**_**:**_

_She took a deep breath and started to tell her story. "It all started when my father's ship was attacked…" _

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Chapter 8: The Story

_**(Edward's POV)**_

"I didn't know what was happening. I was only four at the time. My father had just put me to bed when I heard the shouts of the attackers. I ran outside to see most of my father's crew being slaughtered by the pirates. I was picked up by one of the attackers and carried over to the other ship." She paused for a second, unshed tears gleaming in her eyes. "Before I made it to the other ship, I saw my father being killed by one of the pirates."

I didn't say anything. I looked at Isabella's face and saw tears silently falling down her cheeks. Apparently she hadn't cried like this for a while, seeing as she had one of the toughest exteriors of any woman I had ever met. But right now, the tough exterior seemed to be falling apart.

Before I knew what I was doing, I walked over to Isabella and pulled her to my chest, just holding her. To my extreme surprise, she didn't resist. She actually held on tighter and cried into my shirt. I stroked her hair until she managed to gain control of herself again.

When she pulled back, she looked down at the floor, seeming embarrassed. "Sorry. I shouldn't have lost control like that," she mumbled.

"It's fine. Even I go on crying jags once and a while… when no one's looking," I added with a smile.

She smiled a watery smile. "Of course. No one would believe that the fierce Edward Masen would cry, much less shed a single tear." She giggled.

"Of course. Wouldn't want to ruin my reputation, now would I?" I asked, still smiling.

"Definitely not," she said, still smiling.

I got serious for a moment. "Are you alright?" I asked, truly concerned. She hiccupped a laugh and nodded. I hesitated before I lifted my hand and gently wiped away her tears. She was still underneath my touch, but she didn't pull away like I thought she would.

We were silent for a moment, but then Isabella pulled out of my arms. I was shocked at the sinking feeling that shot through me when she did. She turned her back to me and continued her story.

"I was on that ship for seven years before I finally decided I had to escape. You see, the captain's son had his eye on me since I was old enough to actually look like a girl." She barked out a harsh laugh. "When I decided to escape, I found it wasn't very difficult. Their crew wasn't very bright."

"Who's crew?" I asked, confused.

"Billy Black and Jacob, his son." She sneered their names. I had never heard the names before.

"The crew was stupid and rough. I was pushed around and beat when I did something wrong," she said, glowering at the floor. A surge of rage swept through my body. Why on earth would anybody hurt someone as perfect as my Isabella?

_Whoa! Back it up! What? My Isabella? Where did that come from?_ I shook the thoughts from my head and focused back in on Isabella's story.

"The night I decided to escape, I snuck out of the room that they kept me in and knocked the guards unconscious and cut all of the ropes that held all of the boats and threw away all of the oars. I used one of the boats to row to London and snuck onto a ship that was heading towards the Caribbean."

"I ended up getting recruited for a ship where I met Tanya, Kate, and Irina. A few months later, the ship was attacked by none other than Billy and Jacob Black." She was still staring at the floor. "They ended up killing everyone on the ship including Tanya, Kate, and Irina's parents. The sisters and I were the only ones that they kept alive for reasons that I'm sure you could infer."

I felt my temper rising as she told her story. "I'm sure I could," I said, trying to control my voice.

"While on the ship, we met Rose and Alice. Alice was only twelve at the time, so she was safe, but Rose was fifteen, so she wasn't as lucky, if you know what I mean." She looked up for the first time in a while and looked me into the eyes. Her eyes held pain and remorse for what had happened to her friends and herself. I had the urge to comfort her again, but I didn't.

She smiled a small smile as she told the next part of her story. "We all ended up escaping obviously and we stole back the _Dawn_ from Billy. We had managed to escape five years, but now they're back." Her expression fell drastically.

"You mean to say that the men that tormented you and killed your father, killed your friends' parents, and forcefully stole another one of your friend's innocence is coming after you now?" I asked, outraged.

"Unfortunately, yes. The Blacks' ship, the _Eclipse_, is the only pirate ship with black sails and they have been after us since I escaped the first time when I was twelve," she said. Her voice sounded a little shaky.

I moved towards her again and pulled her to my chest again. Once again, she was still, but didn't resist. "I promise that those men will not touch you again. Not that you need my help or anybody else's, but I'm here if you need me," I said into her hair.

With that I pulled away and, in a split second decision, swiftly kissed her soft cheek and walked out of her cabin before she could say anything.

_**(Bella's POV)**_

He pulled out of our embrace and quickly kissed me on the cheek and then disappeared out the door. I was shocked, to say the least. I lifted my hand to the spot that was tingling on my cheek from where his lips had been.

Why did he continue to dazzle me? I shook my head, unable to answer my own question.

I walked over to where the candle was burning and I blew it out. I walked over to my hammock and laid down, trying to get the horrible memories from taking over my dreams.

_**The Next Day…**_

We had just docked at one of the larger and more well-known islands in the Atlantic and we were restocking.

I had sent Alice and Rose into the main city to get information about an hour ago and I saw them rushing back. "Bella!" Alice called excitedly.

"What is it, Alice?" I asked as they ran up to me.

"There's going to be a festival tonight and everyone, and I mean everyone, is going. Can we please go? Please!" Alice asked, bouncing around like a child who's had a little bit too much sugar.

"I guess--" I was cut off by an ear-piercing squeal.

"For the love of God, what was that?" I heard Edward ask as he came over to where we were standing.

"That was your first encounter with excited Alice," I said to him. "You get used to after a while, but your hearing is never the same."

"I can tell," he said, seemingly trying to regain some hearing in his right ear.

"Oh, Bella, this is going to be so fun. We have to go get dresses and oh, you're going to look so good---" I cut her off this time.

"Hold it right there, Alice. I told you that _you_ could go. I didn't say _I_ was going," I said.

She put her hands on her hips and looked me in the eye. This wasn't going to be good. "And what if I said you have to go?"

"Then I would tell you that I'm the captain and I don't have to do anything," I said crossing my arms over my chest.

I realized that Edward was still standing next to us argue over this trivial matter. I looked over at him and I saw that he was smirking. "What are you smiling at?" I asked.

"Nothing. I'm an innocent bystander here," he said, still smirking.

"Well…" I turned my attention back to Alice who had one of her looks on her face. This look happened to be the one that said that she was about to force me to do something that I really didn't want to do… like go to a festival. "If you don't go to the festival, then we'll just stay onboard and tell stories. That sounds like fun, right?"

She turned to Edward then. "Oh, Edward, I have this great story about the Captain over here about the time when she was around fifteen. She was climbing down the rigging and then this bird comes out of nowhere and---"

"Alright, I'll go! Just don't tell anyone that story," I nearly shouted.

Edward had an amused look on his face. "I'm very curious now. Alice, please continue."

"No, don't continue and go on and tell Rose. I'm sure she's dying to know," I told Alice, who had a triumphant look on her face, and watched her skip away to find Rose.

I then turned to Edward. "And don't think that you're getting out of this. You're coming too."

"Who said I was going?" he asked, an appalled look on his face. Apparently Edward wasn't a festival person.

"I did," I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

"And who said you could tell me what to do?" he asked, crossing his own arms over his chest.

"I did," I said. He raised his eyebrows at me, incredulous. "Do you see what you're standing on?" He nodded. "And what is it exactly that you're standing on?"

"Your ship," he said.

"That is correct. And as owner of this ship and your only source of willing transportation, I am actually one step ahead of you in the hierarchy, so technically, you have to do what I say. And I say that you're going," I said, a triumphant grin of my own spreading across my face.

"Now, if you want to, you could bring your crew. I'm sure they would enjoy that," I said, still smiling.

"I'm sure," he said, glowering at me. I gave him an angelic smile. "Fine, I'll go, but I will let you know that I am being forced against my will."

I had to laugh at that. "You're not the only one. Now go on and fetch your crew. We're done restocking. Tell them to clean themselves up and have a good time tonight. I'm sure they'll have a ball," I said. "Just like us."

"Don't push it, Isabella," he said as he disappeared into the cabin.

Alice and Rose then appeared at my side, grinning like fools. "Come on, Bella," Alice said. "We have to go get dresses now."

"How about you just pick one out for me and I'll stay here," I said. I hated shopping for frivolous things like dresses and cosmetics. I saw no point in them other than objects that men invented just so that they could play with women.

"No, you have to come with us," Rose said.

"Why?" I asked. Alright, I admit I was whining now, but you have no idea how much I hate this sort of thing.

"Because we want you to look good for Edward tonight," Alice said with a mischievous grin on her face.

"Wait, what?" I asked. "What makes you think that I want to look good for Edward, of all people?"

"Hmm, it could be the ay your face lights up every time you see him or the way you talk to him or the way---"

"Alright, I get it," I said. "Let's just get this over with."

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A/N: Yay, Edward and Bella are getting closer! Isn't it great? I think it's great. Anyway, so this chapter was sort of random in a way, but it is important for two reasons. One, the beginning relieved you of the suspense of the cliffy and helps support the main plot. And two, the second half (the festival talk and all that jazz) will help build in character development.

_**Please review and vote for my poll! Please and thank you!**_

_**Peace out!**_

_**Kitti **_


	9. Ch 9 The Festival

**_A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for the reviews and all that jazz! Well, I've got nothing to ramble about so I'll just let you read now._**

**_Disclaimer: See Chapter 1_**

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_Chapter 9: The Festival_

**_(Bella's POV)_**

**_Mid Afternoon…_**

Alice and Rose dragged me into one of the dress shops in town and told me to sit down and be quiet. I knew that I didn't have to listen to them and that I could probably find a way to sneak out of the shop and find a place that I could hide until this whole thing was over, but I also knew that if I did any of those things then I wouldn't hear the end of it for the rest of our journey.

They came back with a short and slightly pudgy woman with a scowl on her face. I held in a groan. This was going to be horrible.

I personally hated dresses in general, much less shopping for them. And I was proud to say that I was the only one in my whole entire crew that didn't own a dress. Apparently, Alice and Rose were determined to change that.

Alice and Rose loved them. Whenever they had the chance to wear one, they would be wearing one. I for one liked to wear pants and shirts. I felt free in them, unlike in dresses with their tight corsets and frilly bows.

I was pulled into a room in the back of the shop where I was told to stand still while the woman whipped a cord around my body, taking my measurements.

When the woman was done, she left the room and came back with an armful of multicolored clothing. She laid them down and held up the first one. I stared at it in horror. It was a ghastly pink dress with bows everywhere on it. "No," I said before she could even pick up the dress all the way. "I'm sorry. I draw the line at pink."

The woman set the dress down with the scowl still on her face and picked up a light purple dress. This one was a bit better, until she showed me the backside where I saw a large bow the size of my bum. My eyes widened and I shook my head violently.

She set that dress down on top of the pink one and lifted up the last one. Now this one I actually liked. It was a light blue dress that looked like it was actually somewhat comfortable. The sleeves, which were the same material as the top layer of the dress, flowed down and looked like they would stop at the middle of my forearm_ **(pic on website)**_. I bit my lip and nodded. The woman let out a sigh. "Take off your clothes and put that on," she said pointing to the white shift laying next to the discarded dresses. I gave her a look, but did what she said as she left the room to get something.

She returned with a piece of flesh colored cloth. "What is that?" I asked.

"What do you think it is? It's a corset. Now turn around," she commanded. I did as she said and then she wrapped the cloth around my torso and started to thread the laces in the back. I gasped when she pulled the laces tight. How could women stand these things? They hurt like hell and there was no way that you could breathe.

I gasped again as she pulled the corset even tight around my stomach, trying to "give me a figure" as some women would say. When she was done, she picked up the dress and pulled it over my head and started to work on the laces of the dress.

When she was done, she called Alice and Rose into the room. They were already dressed in their dresses, which I thought was unfair. They probably got to help each other while I was stuck with the short grump who really wanted me to stop breathing.

"Oh, Bella, you look beautiful," Alice gushed as she skipped towards me in a pink dress that made her look even more like the pixie that she was.

"Not really," I mumbled, looking down at the floor.

"Nonsense," Rose said as she came over in a blood red dress that hugged her body in a way that would make any man fall over in awe. "You look amazing and Edward is going to go into shock as soon as he sees you."

"No, he isn't, because if he does then I'm going to throw him overboard," I said, still looking at the floor.

"Mmhmm, I'm sure," Alice said.

"Excuse me, misses?" I looked up and saw another one of the young shop assistants come into the room along with one other. "I couldn't help but overhear that you mentioned someone named Edward. Would you be talking about an Edward Masen, like Captain Edward Masen?"

"Yes. Why do you ask?" I asked, suspicious.

"Oh, no reason. I just heard that he was very handsome and charming. We don't have a lot of men like that around here," the other girl piped up.

"Sorry, dears, but he's taken," Rose said. The girls' faces fell.

"By who exactly?" one of them asked. I was wondering the same thing.

"Bella," Alice and Rose said together, smirks on their faces.

I gaped at them. "No, he is _not_," I said after I found my voice again. I couldn't believe they said that. "He is most definitely not mine."

"Sure he is," Alice said. "Do you see the way he looks at you or the way he talks to you? He definitely wouldn't mind if he was yours at all."

I rolled my eyes at their silliness. "Whatever," I said. I looked over at the girls that were still standing in the doorway and they quickly left the room when they saw the look in my eyes.

I turned to Rose and Alice. "Alright, you two. You can think anything you want to about Edward and me as long as it doesn't come out of your mouth. And as for this conversation, it never leaves this room."

"Yes, Captain," they said together.

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"Ow! Alice, is this really necessary?" I asked, my breath coming in short bursts, as Alice pulled through my hair with a hairbrush, trying to rid it of the knots that had formed because of the wind. The corset was making it very difficult to breathe. We were in the same room that I had gotten dresses in and Alice was attempting to fix my hair for the festival.

"Yes, Bella, it is necessary if you want to impress a certain other male captain," she said. I could hear the smirk in her voice.

"Well then why are we doing this, because I don't want to impress anyone? And what did I tell you about talking about that sort of thing?" I asked.

I paused for a second. "And why have you two all of a sudden decided to get all lovesick on me? It's like you changed as soon as these men came on board."

Rose and Alice were silent for a moment. "I guess they're bringing out sides of us that we've never seen before," Alice said quietly. I looked over at Rose and I saw that she was nodding in agreement.

"It's like their trying to show us that not all men are as horrible as we've come to think," Rose said quietly.

_Hmm, I guess that's true_, I thought as Alice finally set the brush down and started to twist my hair in different directions.

When I thought about it, Rose might have been right. Over the past few weeks on this journey, my crew has been warming up to the men from Edward's crew. Rose wasn't always glaring at every little mistake the men made (especially Emmett) and Alice was even more excited about everything in general (particularly Jasper). And me… well, I guess I'm learning to trust them more now as well.

An hour later, Alice and Rose were done getting me ready and I was very thankful for that. The top of my head was hurting from how many times Alice had pulled my hair and I thought I would have a permanent twitch in my eye because of the way Rose had attacked me with the cosmetics brush.

But when they were done and they showed me in the mirror, I didn't recognize myself. My hair was in loose curls that fell down my back and curled around my shoulders and my make-up was very light, but it changed me considerably. "Wow," was all I could think of to say.

"Bella, you look amazing," Alice said.

"Thanks, I guess," I said. I was still having trouble breathing. Alice and Rose seemed fine in their corsets.

"Come on," Rose said. "It's time to go." Rose handed me a pair of flat slippers that matched my dress. I had a hard time putting them on because I couldn't exactly bend over because of the corset. Once they were on, we left the shop and headed towards the town's center.

_**(Edward's POV)**_

"Come on, men," I called to the crew. "Let's get this over with," I muttered to myself. I hated festivals. I thought they were frivolous and stupid and women always seemed to throw themselves at me, no matter how many times I said no.

My crew and I made our way to the town's center. When we got there, I saw that there was already a lot of people here. Lovely. There was a band playing some music while people were dancing in the square, while others just talked.

I moved to the side and stopped in my tracks. Standing to the side of the square was Isabella in light blue dress. She looked beautiful. The look on her face looked pained though.

I walked over to her and said, "Hello, Isabella." Her head snapped up and her eyes met mine. I lifted her hand and kissed it gently.

Her eyes darkened slightly and then she looked at the ground and muttered something that sounded like "stupid man." I chuckled at her. "What are you laughing at?" she asked as she glared up at me, but I could see that there was a hint of playfulness in her eyes.

"The fact that you're talking about me when I'm standing not more than three feet away is very amusing," I said, smiling.

"I bet you like that, don't you?" she asked, glaring up at me. I knew she wasn't mad because I saw the smile that was tugging on her lips.

"What man wouldn't like it if a beauty like yourself talked about them?" I asked.

To my surprise, she blushed a delicate red, but being Isabella, she had a comment to balance it. "Any man that valued life," she said.

"Well, I'm going to put my life at stake and ask you for a dance," I said.

She seemed caught of guard for a moment, but shook out of it quickly. "Are you sure you want to do that?" she asked hesitantly, not looking me in the eye.

"Some people would call me insane, but yes, I would really like to do that," I said with a smile.

"Alright, but if you leave with less than ten toes it's not my fault," she said.

"I will assure you that I will leave with all ten toes and that you will enjoy yourself," I said, offering my hand for her to take.

She hesitated for a moment. "Fine," she said, placing her hand in mine. I wrapped my fingers around hers and pulled her out into the square.

A new song started to play, a waltz of sorts, and I pulled Isabella towards me as the song started to play. As we moved around the square, I looked into her eyes and smiled. I loved the feelings that bubbled up inside of me whenever I was near her. She blushed again and looked down at the ground again.

_**(Bella's POV)**_

Edward and I moved around the square and I realized that I hadn't tripped once. That was a first. Usually when I danced, I stepped on someone's toes or tripped over my own feet.

I sucked in a painful breath when Edward spun me away from him and then pulled me quickly back, my dress swirling around my feet. Apparently I spoke to soon about the whole tripping thing. I tripped over my foot and caught myself on Edward's chest. "Sorry," I muttered.

"It's alright," he said with a smile. "I enjoy catching you when you fall." He easily picked me up and set me on my feet and continued to dance with me.

I slapped his chest. "I'm sure you do," I said, trying ignoring the feelings that were forming inside me at the moment. He was too close for me too shake them away. I looked up at his face and the feelings just became stronger. I looked away quickly, not wanting to think about this at the moment.

The song came to an end and Edward bowed to me and kissed my hand again. "Thank you for the dance, Isabella," he said as he led me out of the square. He was quiet for a moment. "Do you really want to stay here anymore or would you like to go for a walk or something?" he asked, talking very fast.

I giggled breathlessly. "A walk sounds nice." He smiled and held out his arm. I took it, using it to support myself. I was starting to get dizzy.

He led me out of the square and we walked towards the docks. I pulled my arm away when we reached the docks. The dizziness had stopped for now.

We were quiet for awhile, just listening to the ocean lapping against the cliffs near the docks.

I tried to take deep even breaths, trying to get some oxygen to my lungs through the corset. Then the dizziness hit me again and then all went black.

_**(Edward's POV)**_

The sun was just beginning to set when Isabella and I left the festival and now we were walking along the docks. It was quiet except for the lapping of the waves against the cliffs.

Then I heard a splash coming from behind me. I turned around to ask Isabella if she knew what it was, but when I did, she wasn't there. "Isabella?"

I looked around for her and she was nowhere in sight. I looked down and saw the ripples of a human sized splash. _Oh no._ I ripped off my coat and dove into the water. I saw Isabella slowly sinking towards the bottom of the ocean. I swam deeper until I got to her. I grabbed her around the waist and started to swim upwards, but the weight of her dress was pulling us down. I pulled at the laces at the back of her dress and let it slide off of her body. It sank to the bottom as I swam upwards with Isabella in my arms.

I reached the surface of the water and pulled Isabella and myself onto the dock. I laid her down and saw that she wasn't breathing. I pulled the knife that I always had with me out and cut the laces of the corset that was restraining her body.

Once it was loose, she started to cough and sputter, water coming out of her mouth. She sucked in a deep breath and laid still. Her eyes fluttered open. "Edward?"

"I'm here," I said, relieved, as I brushed a piece of wet hair away from her face. "Don't you ever do that again. You scared me out of my mind."

"What happened?" she asked, dazed.

"You passed out because of that damned corset and fell off the dock," I said, my voice sounding rough.

She smiled weakly. "At least you were here to save me. Thank you." She sat up and brushed a piece of my own wet hair away from my forehead and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I smiled at her and wrapped my coat around her wet body and then scooped her up off the dock.

"It seems like I'm always carrying you away from incidences like this," I said with a chuckle.

She giggled softly. "It seems like it," she said as she rested her head against my chest. "But don't get used to it." I laughed.

I carried her back to the ship and into the captain's quarters and set her down in a chair. "Stay," I told her.

"Yes, sir," she mumbled. I saw her eyelids start to fall. I went into my room and pulled out one of the blankets that I used and brought it back into the room. I sat Isabella up and wrapped it around her and started to chafe her arms, trying to warm her up.

She opened her eyes further and smiled at me. "Thank you again, Edward. If it weren't for you, I'd be dead."

I just smiled back at her and continued to warm her up. "You know, Edward. If you haven't noticed, all of my friends call me Bella."

"Yes, I've noticed that," I said.

"Well, you've been there both times I've decided to pass out and you've taken care of me both times. And you've put up with all of my mood swings." I chuckled at that one. "So, I just might consider you a friend now."

"Really?" I asked, surprise filling my voice.

She nodded. "Well, I guess you're my friend as well… Bella." She smiled and then her eyes started to droop again. "Go to sleep, Bella. I'll be right here."

"Good night, Edward," she mumbled before her eyes shut all the way. Her breathing evened out and I picked her up gently and carried her over to her hammock and laid her down.

I pulled a chair over beside her and say down, watching the angel before me sleep.

_**A couple hours later…**_

I was brushing a strand of hair away from Bella's face when I heard the door of the captain's quarters open and saw Alice stick her head in the door. "Oh thank God," she said. "When I couldn't find her I assumed she had just wandered off somewhere, but when she didn't come back, I got worried." Alice walked over to Bella and I. "Why is she wet?"

"She passed out and fell off the dock. Her corset was too tight," I explained in a whisper, not wanting to wake Bella.

"Oh my God! Is she alright?" she asked, frantic.

"Yes, she's fine, but she fell asleep as soon as I brought her here and dried her off," I said.

"Thank you, Edward, for saving her. I don't know what we would have done without her," Alice gushed.

"I don't know what we would have done either," I said, looking back down at the peacefully sleeping angel.

"Thank you again," she said. "I need to tell Rose. She's worried." I nodded and she left with one last glance at Bella.

I turned back to Bella and brushed my fingers along her beautiful face one last time before I got up and went to my cabin.

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A/N: Yay! They're friends now! Isn't it awesome? It is awesome! And now every time I write and EPOV I don't have to type out Isabella. It's so annoying to have to do that (no offense to anyone with the name of Isabella). Bella's dress is on my website, so check that out if you want. And yes, I did borrow the whole falling off the dock thing from the PotC movies, but I changed it up a bit.

_**Please review and vote for my poll. I'm almost done with it, but I want a few more votes to settle my decision. Please and thank you!**_

_**Laterz,**_

_**Kitti **_


	10. Ch 10 The Song

_**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the wait. Volleyball has taken up all of my time along with school and graduation exams coming up soon. Gah! Crazy life, but I'm here now, so I'll let you read. **_

_**P.S. This chapter is pretty much all fluff, so all of you fluff lovers out there should be rejoicing. :)**_

_**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1**_

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Chapter 10: The Song

_**(Bella's POV) **_

I woke to the sound of an angel's voice. "Bella," the angel said quietly, shaking my gently. "Bella, you need you wake up."

I opened my eyes and thought that I really had died last night and gone to heaven. An angel really _was_ sitting in front of me, my guardian angel. But for some reason, this angel looked just like…

"Edward?"

He smiled his crooked smile and chuckled softly. "What time is it?" I asked, my voice still sounding groggy.

"Breakfast just ended, but I saved you some, if you want it," he said, nodding his head towards my desk.

I sat up, still a little stiff from last night, and smiled at him, setting my feet on the floor. "Thank you."

"It's no trouble at all," he said. He looked like he was debating with himself about something before he raised his hand and gently brushed away some loose hair that had fallen into my face. I was a little shocked at the gesture, but didn't say anything about it. In fact, I sort of liked the feeling that coursed through my body when he touched me.

_No, Bella! You're not supposed to like the feeling! Not at all!_ a voice in the back of my head screamed at me. And it was right in some senses. For most of my life, I hadn't been able to tolerate the sight of a man, let alone the touch of one, and now I was actually enjoying it?

_But how can you not enjoy the feelings that someone as handsome as Edward gives you?_ another voice asked. In another sense, this voice was right as well. Edward did have a way of making my insides do strange things. I've never acted this way around any other person.

I let out a sigh and pushed both voices into the depths of my mind, leaving them to contemplate on another day.

Apparently Edward heard me. "Is everything alright, Bella?" he asked, concern in his velvet voice.

"No, nothing's wrong," I said, hoping he would drop the subject.

"Alright," he said, dropping the subject, but still sounding unsure. "I'm going to check on the crews. Make sure their not killing each other." He cracked a smile at that.

I laughed. "You have fun with that."

"Oh, I will. I make everything fun," he said, smirking.

I rolled my eyes, a smile on my face. "Just go on." I got off of my hammock and made my way over to my desk, where my breakfast was. Edward laughed as he headed out the door of the cabin.

I shook my head at him after he was gone and started to eat my breakfast. Which after last night, was very good.

This was really nice of Edward to do this for me, even though he didn't have to. He'd saved my life twice now. He didn't have to deal with the follow up details.

And yet he did. He was there when I woke up the first time I passed out drunk (albeit a strange awakening, but nice nonetheless). He was there to catch me when I fell. And he was there to save me when I needed it. It brought a smile to my face as I continued to eat my breakfast.

_**(Edward's POV)**_

I walked out of Bella's cabin and closed the door behind me. I loved the fact that I could call her Bella now. The name fit her perfectly as well. Bella, beautiful. It fit very well. And she truly was beautiful, inside and out, even if she didn't have the greatest reputation.

I turned around at the sound of a few wolf whistles and some applause. "What's the captain doing in the other captain's quarters?" I heard Emmett ask, a smile on his face.

"Nothing that you need to know about," I said. "And even if you did need to know, which you don't, I wouldn't tell you. You'd have to find someone else to."

"So does this mean that our little Eddie's become a man?" Emmett asked, the smile still on his face.

I looked up at him with a look of confusion on my face. "What?"

"God, and you thought I was the dense one. Have you done the deed? Made our other captain a woman?"

It took me a moment to understand what he was saying and then I understood. "God, no, Emmett! I brought her breakfast and that was it," I told him, leaving out some of the other parts that I wanted to keep to myself.

He gave me a skeptical look. "Alright, if you insist."

"Yes, I insist," I said before I left him to his work and went to check on everyone else.

_**(Bella's POV)**_

_**That night…**_

After I had finished breakfast this morning, I went out onto the deck and found out that we had been making good time when we left port early this morning.

Now I was leaning against the railing of the _Dawn_, just thinking and humming mindlessly. The both crews had both retired for the night, so I was the only one on deck. My hair was held back with a bandana, keeping it from blowing it into my face.

"You have a beautiful voice," someone said from behind me. I jumped and spun around to find Edward walking towards me.

I felt my cheeks heat up as I blushed. "T-thank you," I stuttered out. _Come on, Bella. Can't you say two words without stuttering around him?_

He chuckled and came to stand next to me. He was looking at me in a way that I had never seen him do before. Then he was closer to me then he was a second ago and my breath hitched and stopped completely. He brought his hand up and gently slid off the bandana that was holding my hair up. My hair tumbled down passed my shoulders and started to blow gently in the wind. Edward ran his fingers through my hair gently, smiling a small smile the entire time. "I like it when you wear your hair down," was his explanation. I could only nod, seeing as I had just regained my ability to breathe.

I could feel the heat of his body radiating off of him, he was so close to me. The mixture of his heat and the coolness of the ocean breeze made me shiver. Edward noticed. "Are you cold?"

"A little, but I'm fine," I said, looking away from him.

"Are you sure?" he asked, concern in his emerald eyes that seemed to glitter in the moonlight. The way that he was looking at me made me shiver again (but in a good way, I think). "Well, that answers that question," he said, shoving himself off the railing.

He walked behind me and then I jumped when I felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist from the back. "What are you doing?" I asked.

"Keeping the captain warm, of course. Can't have the captain getting sick, now can we?" he asked as he pressed his chest to my back. The heat of his body warmed me almost instantly and it felt extremely good. I knew that he wasn't going to let go, so I leaned back against him, relishing the moment.

We were quiet for a moment, and then Edward asked, "What was that song you were humming earlier? It was beautiful."

"It was a song that my mother used to sing to father and me when I was young. She taught it to me before she died. My father used to sing it to me before I went to sleep after she died." I said this quietly, not wanting to shed any tears because of the memories.

"Will you sing it for me, please?" he asked, just as quiet. I smiled and complied with his wish. _**(song on website)**_

_Somewhere beyond the sea  
Somewhere waiting for me  
My lover stands on golden sands  
And watches the ships that go sailing_

_Somewhere beyond the sea  
He's there watching for me  
If I could fly like birds on high  
Then straight to his arms I'd go sailing_

I felt Edward lightly kiss the top of my head and then he rested his chin on the top of my head as I sang.

_It's far beyond the stars  
It's near beyond the moon  
I know beyond a doubt  
My heart will lead me there soon  
__  
We'll meet beyond the shore  
We'll kiss just like before  
Happy we will be beyond the sea  
And never again I'll go sailing_

_Sailing_

Edward tightened his grip on my waist and I looked up at him as I sang. He smiled down at me and I smiled back and continued with my song.

_We'll meet, I know we'll meet beyond the shore  
We'll kiss just as before  
Happy we'll be beyond the sea  
And never again I'll go sailing  
Sailing  
__  
No more sailing  
No more sailing_

When I finished, I was smiling, remembering the times that my mother sang this to me and my father.

"That was beautiful, Bella," Edward whispered into my hair. He pressed his soft lips to my temple. They seemed to linger there for longer than his other kisses, but I didn't say anything.

I giggled a sad giggle. "The song wasn't necessarily true when it can to my parents' whereabouts, but it was right about everything else."

"I'm sure they loved each other very much," Edward whispered.

I leaned back against his chest and sighed. "They did," I whispered, agreeing with him.

Edward and I were quiet for a while, neither of saying anything. The only sound that was heard was the sound of our breathing and the gentle lapping of the waves hitting the side of the ship below us.

He sighed after a few minutes of our comfortable silence. "I think it's time that we went to bed. It's very late."

I sighed as well. "I guess you're right," I said and he unwrapped his arms around with one last kiss on the top of my head. The sinking feeling that coursed trough my body when he did was one of the strongest I had ever felt in my life.

We walked back over to the captain's quarters and walked through the door. "Good night, Bella," Edward said, before he turned and started to head towards his room.

"Edward," I said, before he could make it all the way. He turned around and looked at me. I walked over to him and raised myself onto my tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you for listening tonight," I whispered into his ear.

I lowered myself down onto the floor and saw that he was smiling. He nodded in response and then turned and walked into his room without another word.

I sighed when the door between us was closed. The feelings that had come over me today were some of the strangest, and most wonderful, that I had ever felt. The urge to feel them again was excruciating.

I made my way over to my hammock and removed my boots before laying down. I closed my eyes and dreamed my very first dreams of Edward Masen.

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A/N: Well, there you go. I hope you liked it. And, once again, I'm sorry for the wait. And thanks for the reviews. I want to try to get to 100 with this chapter, I'm at 88 at the moment so only 12 more. It's not that hard. I'll take a two word review, if that's all you want to write. Alright, I'm going to stop rambling now. I'll update as soon as possible.

_**The song that Bella sings is on my website, so check that out. It really makes the scene better if you listen to the song with it.**_

_**Peace!**_

_**Kitti**_


	11. Ch 11 The Couples

_**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait! I've been going crazy these last few weeks with all the stuff that going on in my life. I've barely had any time to update any of my stories. Anyway, sorry for the wait and thanks for all the reviews and all that jazz.**_

_**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1**_

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Chapter 11: The Couples

_**(Bella's POV) **_

It's been about a week since my last near-death experience and nothing too interesting has happened since. We were making good time and the crews were actually getting along. There hadn't been any serious fights after Kate and Mike's brawl.

Edward and I are still getting along very well. There weren't anymore major fights going on between us at all.

The only people that were acting strange were our second- and third-in-commands. Alice and Rose had been fidgety for the last couple of days and every time I ask either one of them about it they say it's nothing. Edward told me that Emmett and Jasper had been acting the same way. They had been avoiding us as well. Edward told me that Emmett even dove into the cargo hold when he saw him coming towards him.

Edward and I had decided that we needed to get to the bottom of this. We couldn't let our second- and third-in-commands have mental breakdowns, now could we? Or that's what we told ourselves.

For once the sun was out and shining down onto the deck and the wind was blowing in the direction that we needed it to go. There wasn't really any need for there to be that many crew members on deck. Edward and I were standing at the helm looking out over the water.

"Have Emmett and Jasper been acting stranger since we left port?" I asked Edward in a hushed voice. "I know Alice and Rose have been. They've never been this jumpy."

"I've noticed that," Edward replied in the same hushed voice. "Emmett and Jasper are usually never like this."

"Do you know why?" I asked.

He shook his head and turned to look at me, he had a mischievous look in his emerald eyes. "What are you planning?" I asked him suspiciously.

He shrugged. "I may not know what they're up to, but I do know that they're up to something. It shouldn't be too hard to figure out. Trust me. I've known Emmett and Jasper for most of my life. I think I know when they're up to something."

"And what is your plan, O Wise Mastermind?" I asked, sarcasm dripping from my tongue.

He gave me a sideways glance and smirked at me. "Ambushing usually works," he said with a laugh. "It's worked many a time with those two. And now that I think about it, they're probably doing something now since we don't need that many crew members to work on deck."

"Well, lead the way," I said gesturing for him to move.

He pushed himself off of the railing and walked down the steps of the helm with me at his heels. He moved towards the cargo hold and lifted a hand to tell me to stop. He leaned down and listened for a moment.

I listened as well, but I didn't hear anything. I was about to tell Edward to just walk down the stairs, when I heard a pleasure-filled moan coming from the back of the cargo hold. Apparently Edward heard it as well, because he turned to me with an eyebrow cocked up. I nodded and we walked quietly down the steps into the cargo hold.

We maneuvered our way through the barrels and boxes of supplies, following the sounds that were coming from the back of the hold. We moved to the back and I hid behind a box that was near the open space near the back of the hold and Edward hid behind a barrel _**(A/N: Just picturing Edward hiding behind a barrel is hilarious!)**_.

We both peaked out from our hiding spots and we were shocked at the sight in front of us (well, I was shocked. Edward looked like he was expecting this).

Emmett was holding Rose up against the wall of the cargo hold, kissing her like there was no tomorrow. Rose had her fingers tangled in Emmett's hair and her legs were wrapped around his waist. She let out another moan of pleasure.

_So that's what we heard_, I thought to myself with a smirk on my face.

I looked over at Edward and he nodded to me. It was time for us to make our presence known. Edward and I stepped out from our hiding places and Edward cleared his throat loudly.

Apparently that startled Emmett and he jumped and accidentally dropped Rose on her bum. "Oof," she huffed when she hit the floor. "Emmett, you idiot. Why'd you drop…" she trailed off when she saw Edward and I standing there. "…me?" she finished lamely. She scrambled to her feet and Emmett turned around and saw us.

He raised his hand in an awkward sort of wave. "Hello there," Emmett said, self-consciously. Rose waved a little too.

I crossed my arms over my chest and looked in between Rose and Emmett. "Is there something going on here that we need to know about?" I asked.

"Oh no, nothing at all," Emmett said, still smiling like a child that was about to get in caught. Rose slapped him on the back of the head. "Ow! What was that for?"

"For being an idiot," Rose said before turning back to Edward and I. "Well, you saw what we were doing, so what are you going to do about it?"

Edward and I looked at each other and then back at Emmett and Rose. "Nothing," we said together.

"What?" they asked.

"Well, we can't stop you from being together if you want to be, so we're not going to try," Edward said. Edward turned away from them and I followed. Then Edward turned back around and said, "Don't let us stop you. Carry on." He then turned back around and we both walked back up onto the deck.

"Well, that solves the Emmett and Rose problem," I said.

"Yes, it does," Edward said, nodding. "That's enough mystery solving for one afternoon. We'll let the other two be secretive for a little while longer."

I laughed at that. "If you insist." He nodded and we both went about our business.

_**Later that night… **_

The sun had just set and the moon was shining down on the deck. The lanterns were lit and most of the crew was on deck, laughing and telling stories to each other.

Edward and I were off to the side, talking quietly to each other. I looked over to the crews and saw that Rose was sitting on Emmett's lap. She was smiling up at him and he was smiling back at her. Emmett whispered something into her ear and she giggled and leaned up to give him a chaste kiss (well, it was chaste compared to this afternoon). "I've never seen Rose like that," I said to Edward. "She's never been one to laugh and let loose."

Edward nodded in understanding. "I've only ever seen that look between two people," he said quietly, as if remembering something.

"What look?" I asked, confused.

"The look that says that two people are in love," he said, looking me in the eye. I blushed and looked away from his emerald gaze, not understanding the emotion that was shining in his eyes.

I cleared my throat and changed the subject. "And who were these two people exactly?" I asked.

"My parents," he whispered. "They were in love, just like our friends are now. They may not know it yet, but I can see it in their eyes. It's there."

I looked back over at the group and saw what Edward was talking about. Emmett and Rose seemed to glow in a way that they hadn't before. "You're right," I whispered back to him. I was happy for my friend. She deserved happy just as much as anyone else and if that happiness was with a man then I wasn't going to stop her from achieving it.

Then I noticed that Alice wasn't in the crowd. I turned to Edward and asked, "Have you seen Alice?"

"No. I was just about to ask if you'd seen Jasper," he said, scanning the group again.

"No, actually, I haven't seen either of them all day," I said. "But I have a feeling that I know what they're doing." I looked up at Edward and he smirked and nodded.

"Lead the way," I said for the second time today. He nodded and we both headed towards the crew's quarters. How he knew where to look was beyond me.

We made our way down the steps and into the cabins that the crews used. It was silent other than the fact that there was a small party going on above us.

I was moving past one of the small closets that the crew uses when I heard a quiet, high-pitched giggle mixed together with a quiet baritone chuckle. "Edward," I whispered to him. He turned around and I motioned to the closet door. A smirk appeared on his face and he reached for the doorknob and then he ripped the door open to reveal Alice and Jasper having a very Emmett-and-Rose-like moment in one of the smallest closets on the entire ship.

Jasper had his arms are Alice's waist, holding her up so that she could reach his face (that was actually a funny sight). It seemed as if Edward and I had caught them in the middle of an intense kissing session because Jasper's hair was sticking up in every direction and Alice's cheeks were a rosy color.

Alice shrieked a bit and hid her face in the crook of Jasper's neck. Jasper gave us an awkward sort of grin and his eyes shifted away from both Edward's and mine. It was, in fact, one of the most hilarious sights I had ever seen. I let out a little giggle. "Aww. Edward, aren't they just adorable?"

Edward let out a little chuckle before responding. "Oh, yes. Not even a baby could compare to them."

Alice peeked out from her hiding spot of Jasper's neck and looked at Edward and I. "Aren't you mad that we've been sneaking around?" she asked, always thinking about me before herself.

"No, Alice, we're not mad at all. Actually," I said, glancing at Edward. "You're not the only ones who've had this idea today." Edward chuckled softly next to me. "Go on now," I said waving my hand at them for to continue.

"I have one question though," Edward said before we left.

"And what exactly is that, Captain?" Jasper asked as he attempted to flatten his hair.

"How in God's name did you get in there, man?" Edward asked, looking like he was truly confused.

Jasper laughed. "I have my ways." Edward laughed and motioned for his friend to continue on about his business. I followed Edward and went up the stairs, but not before turning to Alice and winking at her. She giggled and winked back and then turned back to Jasper.

After Edward and I were back on deck, he turned to me and said, "Well, that solves that little problem."

I laughed. "I guess it does. I guess it does."

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A/N: Yay for Alice and Jasper and Emmett and Rosalie! They're together! Ain't it sweet! Anyway, hoped you guys liked that. I know some of you would like some more Edward and Bella "togetherness", but I want it to seem like they're comfortable as friends, but there's still the, I guess you could call it, romantic tension between them. I hoped that made sense.

_**Anyway, review please! For some reason this took me three days to write and I have no idea why. Gah! It must be the writer's block. Anyway, I like reviews. They make me happy.**_

_**And now I'm off to watch the Twilight THREE-disc DVD now. Ain't that exciting?**_

_**Laterz,**_

_**Kitti**_


	12. AN: I'm Sorry!

**A/N: I'M SOOOOOOOOOOOOO SORRY!!**

**I will be temporarily (yes, look at that last word. I will NOT be abandoning this story) putting The Isles on hiatus. I have no idea what is going to happen in the next part of the story and I need some time to think it over. I will update as soon as I get my thoughts in order. **

**Again, I'm so sorry!! :( I hate writer's block!!**

**Kitti**

**P.S. I'm sorry if any of you thought this was a new chapter.**

**P.S.S. I feel so bad for doing this to ya'll, but if this makes any difference, I have put up a new story. It's called **_**Small Town Southern Living**_**. Check it out, please! **


	13. AN: Penname Change!

**A/N: I know you guys are going to hate me for giving you an author's note instead of a chapter when I haven't updated in so long, but I think this is necessary.**

**I've decided to change my penname to _DarkGoldenEyedAngel_. I didn't want any of you to get confused when you couldn't find CrazedCullenLover anymore.**

**Hope this helps. And I'm in the process of writing the next chapters in On Opposite Ends II: Total War and Small Town Southern Living, so those will be up soon.**

**Thanks for being so patient with me.**

**~Kitti (aka DarkGolenEyedAngel, formerly known as CrazedCullenLover) :) **


	14. AN: New Profile and Story

Hey, everyone. I know you all must hate me because I haven't updated any of my stories in forever. I've just lost most of my inspiration for them. I'll get back to them eventually, but until then, they are all on hold.

But I do want to let you all know, that I have a new profile. My knew name is **PlayingKitti2011**. Don't worry. I'm still keeping this profile. And I've started a new story that I'm currently in love with. It's called _Let the Games Begin_. I love where it's going and I'm already about six chapter into it, so if you all want to head over to there, then I would love you all.

Thanks,

Kitti :)


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